The Story of a Girl
by Jaime Snyder
Summary: Raven's daughter is different from everyone else, but she doesn't know or care why. All she wants to do is find out why some teenage boy is being so nice to her. And how do her parents' pasts fit into all of it? She's sure to find out sooner or later...
1. The Beginning

**OKAY! I probably should have put this here a little while ago, but here's the deal--these first two/three chapters are informative. We don't see much of the plot just yet. And yeah, I wrote these first few chapters two years ago, so they're not as good as my more recent ones. I promise you, if you stick with this story and make it past this background information, it will get more interesting.  
**

**--Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I am not the owner of the Teen Titans...or Red X. **

CH. 1: Goodbye

She stood on the roof of Titan's Tower, with what few belongings she packed in the bag slung over her shoulder. Raven stood here as the sun slowly rose from over the horizon.

_'I wish I could stay, but I can't keep him waiting. Goodbye, my friends…'_

As the other Titans began to stir, Raven noiselessly glided off the roof of the tower and flew across the city where- awaiting her arrival- a masked figure paced the floor of his apartment.

The masked teen looked up to see Raven entering his hideout. He walked over to her and she hugged him. "Did you have any trouble getting here?" he asked.

"No, I left while they were still sleeping," she replied.

"Good. Did you remove the tracer from your communicator and turn it (the communicator) off?"

"Yes. I did what you told me to."

"Ok, then. Let's go," he said. He held Raven around her waist and pressed the button on his belt that teleported them out of the city.

In the Tower, the other four Titans were sitting in the living room when Starfire declared, "I shall go see if Raven would like some of my Zorka berry juice!" and she flew off to Raven's room.

"I wonder what's been bothering Raven lately?" Robin said, more to himself then anyone.

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy questioned.

"Come on, BB, you can't tell me you haven't noticed how sad-looking she's been lately?" Cyborg said, getting some eggs out to make breakfast.

"Well, yeah, I have, but I thought she was just…you know, being Raven." Robin was about to respond, when Starfire called to them over the communicators.

"Friends! Please, come quickly!" She cried.

"We're on our way," Robin replied. He looked at the others, then they all went to Raven's room, where Starfire was standing, a note in her hand and tears in her eyes.

"What's the problem, Starfire?" the Robin questioned.

"Raven, she has left!" Starfire said, handing the note to Robin, who read it aloud:

_**"Dear Friends,**_

_**I am sorry, but I have to leave. Maybe someday we will meet again, but it won't be any time soon. I will explain everything to you in due time. I miss you already.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Raven."**_

"What the-? She left!" Robin said, handing the note to Beast Boy and Cyborg. When they read it, Beast Boy said,

"She loves us? Dude! Hey, wait, there's more!"

_**"P.S. Please smack Beast Boy for me if he thinks I love him as more than a friend just because I said 'Love, Raven'."**_

Cyborg smiled maliciously at Beast Boy and slapped the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Why would Raven leave so surreptitiously?" Robin asked.

"I don't know. She must have had a good reason though," Cyborg started, sitting on Beast Boy who had tried to hit him. "She's the most responsible of all of us, after you."

"Should we search for her? Put up the flyers of the missing?" Starfire asked.

"Raven is smart. She's not going to let anyone find her if she doesn't want to be found," Robin said, a little anger and annoyance in his voice.

"I'll do a search of the city on my computer. Maybe a security camera spotted her or something. I doubt it, but I'll try anyway," Cyborg said, leaving the room.

"I shall search her room. Perhaps there is a clue as to why she left here," Starfire said, flying over to inspect Raven's bookcase.

"I'll help you," Robin said, going to Raven's closet.

"And I'll go help Cyborg," Beast Boy said, leaving the room as well.

**Somewhere in Raya City**

"Well, this is where I live," The teen said. Raven set her bag down by the door and looked around. "There's a living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and one bathroom." Raven looked at him, wishing he would once more remove his mask so she could see his eyes. She saw the tattered cape, the black outfit, and the white skull mask that hid his face from unworthy eyes; Red X, her friends' enemy, and her fiancé.

**Back at Titans Tower**

"Cyborg, Beast Boy, we're going to a restaurant to check old reservations, to see if Raven's been there," Robin called over his communicator as Starfire flew him across the water and to the city.

"Ok, we're still checking the security systems around here, then we're going to go interrogate people at Raven's favorite hang-outs," Cyborg replied.

**Back with Raven**

"Hey, X?" Raven asked, sitting next to him on the couch in his living room. He looked at her expectantly. "Do you remember the first time you 'asked' me out?" she asked. He nodded.

"That was a perfect plan to get you to agree…."

**FLASHBACK**

"Titans, Go!" Robin yelled on the roof of Titan's Tower. Red X had purposely set of the alarm on the roof's entrance, and was now dodging an array of star bolts being fired at him. He did a few graceful back flips and was out of the line of fire, when Beast Boy turned into a humming bird and flew around him, pecking him. Red X teleported away from Beast Boy and closer to Raven. Robin and Cyborg came running towards him, shooting freeze disks and sonic cannons as they went; X dodged them easily. Raven used her powers to throw a rock she had gotten from the shore at him, but he jumped over it and ran for Raven.

"Azarath Metrion Zin-mmm!" Raven cried out. X had shot his gloved hand over her mouth, grabbed her, and teleported them away, all in the time frame of three seconds.

"Raven!" Robin yelled.

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Raven and Red X had appeared in the bed room of an apartment.

"Let go of me, you jerk!" Raven yelled.

"Awe, come on now. Isn't 'jerk' a bit harsh?" Red X asked, clearly amused, and not letting her go. She glared at him, and phased out of his arms, re-appearing by the door. Red X walked closer and closer to her, until he was about a foot from her.

"Don't come any closer." Raven said, a tone of warning in her voice. He smirked.

"What will you do, Raven? Call your team mates to come save you from the big bad Red X?"

"No," she said dangerously. "I will tear you from the inside out."

"Promise?" he asked, stepping a bit closer. "Well, go ahead then. Tear me up," he said. She did nothing. "That's what I thought." He turned and walked to the bed, seemingly a mistake on his part, because then Raven used her powers to pick up a lamp and throw it at him. But somehow, he had seen this coming, and quickly teleported behind her, holding her hands behind her back.

Raven was shocked that he had known what she was going to do, but quickly regained her normal additude, and began struggling against his grip. "Tsk tsk tsk. Raven, you should know better than that. It's not very polite to throw lamps at people," Red X teased. Raven glared, and phased through the floor. Red X looked around, trying to figure out where she would re-appear. He didn't have to wait long. She phased through the wall on his left, and threw a punch to his face, hitting her mark. Red X turned to face Raven, smirking--unbeknownst to her. With lightning fast movements, he bent down and slid his legs under her own to trip her, and stood over her as she lay on her back. She glared.

"What do you want with me? Why did you bring me here?" she demanded. He simply extended his hand to her, to help her stand.

_'What the-? Since when is he a gentleman?'_

Raven cautiously took his hand, and he helped her off the ground. When she was standing, she made to pull her hand away, but he held it tighter. Not to the point of hurting her, just to keep her hand there. She looked from her hand, then back to him. He was staring at her intently.

_'Hm...he's nervous about something. Why won't he let me go? He's acting...strange. Why is he looking at me like that? It's like, he's struggling to say something. But what?'_

"You've yet to answer my questions, X. Why am I here? What is it that you want?" Raven asked, her tone still demanding. But if you looked hard enough, you could hear her curiosity. He just continued to look in her eyes, trying to decide how to say what he wanted to say, while secretly hoping she wouldn't phase away. Then, after a moment more of unnerving silence, the masked teen deeply inhaled, and asked the gothic bird what he'd been dying to ask for a while.

"I- I wanted to ask you something." He was nervous, and his voice showed it.

"Yes?" she questioned.

He sighed, then said, "Raven, will you go out with me?"

She was shocked.

**Well, that's the first chapter. As always, review and let me know what you think! I kinda like the Raven and Red X pairing, don't you? hehe. Well, that's pretty much it! Later!**

**--Jaime**


	2. FLASHBACK

**Hello! I am here with the next chapter! Special thanks to my ONLY REVIEWER! This one's for you! So, enjoy the story, and leave a review please!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I still don't own the Teen Titans, and I doubt I ever will.**

Ch. 2: Flashbacks

Raven and Red X were still in the living room of their apartment in Raya City, curled up together on the couch.

"I was so shocked when you agreed to go," Red X said. Raven smirked.

"Well, at first, I went just so you'd leave me alone. But THAT never happened..."

FLASHBACK:

Red X was standing in the dusty bed room, with Red X still holding on to her hand. She was completely shocked that he had kidnapped her, just to ask her out on a date.

_'What? He wants to go on a date...with me! Of all the people he could have kidnapped, he wants to date **me!**' _She looked at him, her cold facade wavering slightly as she realized that he was not joking._ 'Well...what could one date hurt?' _she thought. Raven stared at him for a moment longer, when she finally spoke.

"Okay, Red X. I will go on _one_ date with you," she said. He looked ecstatic and relieved at the same time.

"Great," he said, trying to keep himself calm. He let go of her hand, and pulled a folded piece of paper out of his belt. After he handed it to her, he once again grabbed her around the waist, then teleported them away.

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Raven sat on her bed a week later. The Titans had bombarded her with a million questions of "Where were you?", "What happened?", "What did he do to you?", and "Did he tell you what he's planning?". Raven had lied her way out of it all.

_"It was really weird," _she had told them. _"But it's true. He took me to Mumbo, and made me watch really lame magic tricks with him for an hour. He told me he was bored, and I believed him."_

The others had considered this incredulously, but eventually believed her. So now, Raven sat in her room, trying to convince herself that it was safe to go on a date with Red X.

_'Raven, honestly, what could happen?'_ she thought to herself. Lucky her when her personality sides decided to bud in on her thoughts.

_**Timidness**: He could attack you! You could be badly hurt! You could be raped, or mutilated, or something!_

_**Intelligence**: Oh, please. Like Raven would ever let that happen to herself. Right, Raven?_

_'Of course I wouldn't! Besides, Red X may be a criminal, but he's just a thief. He's no murderer, and he'd be torn to peices if he ever tried to rape me.'_

_**Intelligence**: Well, that settles it. You should go and have fun, but still---be careful._

Nodding to herself, she stood and walked to her window. It was dark out, and the stars were shining brightly in the moonless sky. Raven looked down at her outfit-- a dark gray, long, silky dress that went down to her ankles. It was not revealing in the slightest, and looked like her leotard at the top, but with short sleeves.

_'This should be interesting...'_

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Raven walked up to a small reserved table for two, in a fancy little restaurant called "Restaurant des Similitudes". She had thought that the name was rather strange when she first arrived. It was interesting to her that it meant the "Restaurant of Similarities", and she thought it was rather creative.

Raven saw a teenager sitting at the table, with light tan skin and black hair---wearing dark sunglasses and a black tuxedo, who stood as she approached. When she was by her seat, the teen pulled out her chair for her and pushed her in when she sat. He went back to the other side of the table, and seated himself.

"Hello, Raven," his non-computer-modified voice said.

"Red X, I presume," she said. He smirked in reply. Raven looked around the restaurant uncomfortably while Red X simply stared at her. After a few minutes of akward silence, Red X decided to speak.

"You can relax, you know," he said, causing Raven to look back at him. "I swear, I'm not going to attack you."

"One can never be too sure," Raven replied.

The waiter came with their food and drinks, then he left almost as soon as he had come. Raven looked at the food curiously.

_'We didn't order anything yet,'_ she thought, as she inspected the glass of water in her hand.

"I didn't have them poison it, if that's what you're thinking," X said. Raven looked at him, then the glass again. After deciding that he wasn't lying, she took a sip, then began to eat the 'Tilapia grille avec le citron' (see footnotes).

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After a while, Raven had relaxed considerably, and began conversing with Red X. They had talked about everything from music to the weather, and back again. Now, they were on the topic of their professions.

"So, what do you do when you're not being 'Red X'?" Raven asked.

"What do you do when you're not being 'Raven'?" he countered.

"I am always 'Raven'. I am always a heroine, no matter what." she replied.

"Really? That has to suck."

"How so?"

"Don't you ever just want to stop being you? Just...do whatever you want for a change?" he asked.

"Is that what _you_ do when that costume comes off?"

"I always do whatever I want to. Whatever I'm in the mood for, I make happen. Even if it means kidnapping," he said with a smirk. Raven rose an eyebrow at that statement.

"Speaking of which," she said, "why did you do that? I mean, surely you didn't need to kidnap me for an answer..."

"Oh yes, I could have just knocked on your door and asked you out. I'm sure the Titans, including yourself, wouldn't have attacked me if I did," he said sarcastically. A thought crossed Raven's mind.

"X," she started, "why did you want to go out with me in the first place, if you're not going to attack me?" He considered her question for a moment, his expression unreadable to the empath.

"Because," he replied, "...I like you."

End FLASHBACK

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Back at the tower, the Titans had given up their search for the day. They were all piled up in the main room, sitting on the couch.

"Well, that was a big waste of time," Robin said sourly. They hadn't gotten any closer to finding Raven, and this was what made the leader mad.

"Do not despair, Robin," the alien princess said in her optomistic voice. "We may not have found Raven yet, but I am sure we will see her again."

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, "if she wants to be gone for a while, let her. She'll come back soon enough." Beast Boy would have agreed with the others, had he not been sleeping on the floor, drooling all over the carpet.

"Ew," Robin said as he spotted the puddle.

**Okay, that was the second chapter! Alright, the meal that Red X and Raven ate was 'Tilapia grille avec le citron', which is just 'Grilled Tilapia with lemon' in French. Incase you don't know, Tilapia is a type of fish (and it's really tastey, I might add...). So, thank you for reading the story! please hit the pretty little review buton and tell me what you thought of the second chapter!**

**---Jaime**


	3. Nineteen Years Later

**Hello again! I have very very VERY few reviews, but I still have them! So that means you get to see the third chapter! Hooray for you . Anyway, read, and please review, because if you don't, I will send my yellow, South African penguins out to stalk you.**

**--Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or any other character on the show for that matter. But I can dream, can't I?**

**Oh yes, and I don't know what city the Titans live in, but I'll just say Jump City because I see that all the time. Feel free to correct me.**

Ch. 3: Seventeen Years Later

_"Good morning faithful listeners! It's a beautiful day in Raya City! I'm K.S., here to bring you some rock without rules! To sta-" _A young girl turned off her alarm clock and sat up in her bed. She slowly took in the appearence of her darkened room; dark blue walls, black desk, dresser, and bedframe, blood red bedsheets, and white-curtained windows. The girl got out of her warm bed and stepped on to the cold, hardwood floor below. Making her way to the bathroom, she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Once at her destination, she brushed her white teeth, washed her pale face, and brushed her chin length blue hair. She looked into the mirror to see her own blue-eyed reflection looking back at her. She was skinny (but not underweight), had pale skin (but not unhealthily pale), and her hair was, suprisingly, naturally blue.

She walked back to her room, then closed the door and dressed in her school uniform: a white shirt, a red tie, and a green skirt that went about a dollar bill's length (the longer side) above her knee. Since she never was a big fan of skirts, however, she wore a pair of semi-baggy black pants underneath the thing.

The sixteen-year-old walked to the kitchen to get some tea, then grabbed her black messenger bag that was laid carefully by the door of her parent's apartment. Next, she made her way down nine flights of stairs, because she never thought it was necessary to take an elevator. Afterwards, she walked through the garage of the building and out onto the street.

_'It's six o'clock,' _she thought, as she walked down Hero Ave. to her bus stop._ 'The bus should be here in five, four, three, two, one...' _And there it was, the big yellow highschool bus that she rode every day. She got on and headed straight for the last seat on the left. Once seated, she took out a book that her mother had given her not too long ago, and began to read.

_"Though it did seem the power of Rorek was greater than my magics could defeat. And as the foul beast struck, I summoned the forces of my enchanted book. "Aldruon Enlenthra Nalthos Sola Narisnor!" And with a curse more ancient than foul Rorek himself, I-"_

"Hey Falle, you're in my seat. Move," a twelfth grader said to her, standing in the aisle. The girl, now surnamed 'Falle' (pronounced 'Fall'), looked up at the burly teen, then looked back at her book and continued reading. "Do you _hear_ me, you little gothic bitch? I said '_move_'!" he yelled.

"I am well aware of what you said, Nale," Ms. Falle said in an emotionless, uncaring tone, never once taking her eyes from her book. "I simply chose to ignore you." He looked at her incredulously. No one _dared_ talk to him that way, or they were sure to be sent to the hospital. And this little girl was no exception in his books.

He ripped the book from her hands, and held it above his head. The girl looked up at him with a murderous gaze and stood to face him. She stared at him for a minute, then spoke in a cold, menacing voice.

"Return that book to me. **Now**," she said. He smirked.

"Awe, is baby Rune Falle getting mad?" he teased. She dug her nails into her palm.

"Give me my book," she said again, in a demanding tone. He looked at the book, then back at her.

"You want it? Go get it," and he threw it out of one of the open windows. Rune looked to see the pages flying, and the book being run over. Seconds later, she turned back to face him. When she spoke again, her voice was evil, and threatening. And, though the teenage boy would never admit it, her tone scared him. Badly.

"You...are an insanely stupid, obnoxious, horrible, **pathetic excuse FOR A HUMAN BEING! Do you KNOW how much that book is worth? If you ever, and I mean EVER lay another hand on my things again, I swear that I will TEAR YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT!**"

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Meanwhile, in Jump City, a certain grioup of people were gethered on their living room couch.

"Robin-"

"Nightwing," the masked man corrected the green one.

"Whatever. Dude, Raven left almost seventeen YEARS ago, what makes you think that she's in Raya city?" Beast Boy asked.

"Because, when Cyborg and I were coming back from the Titans East's tower, we cut through Raya. That's when we ran over this," Nightwing said to Beast Boy and Starfire, holding up a tattered book. They were shocked.

"Is that the book that Malchior came out of many years ago?" Starfire asked. Cyborg nodded.

"The very same."

"Then, you think we could like, find her? Dude!" Beast Boy jumped in the air with excitement.

"Not yet," Nightwing said. "First we need to track her down. If she knows we've found her, I don't know if she may try to run away again." The others agreed. "Let's check the hospital records in Raya, and see if we can find Raven."

The four adults went over to the main room computer, and watched as Cyborg began punding away at the keyboard. A few minutes later, they heard his disappointed sigh.

"Nope. She's not listed. I'm not suprised, though. I mean, she _can_ heal herself," Cyborg said.

"Perhaps," Starfire started, "we could check records for the maternity ward?"

"Raven wasn't born here, though," Beast Boy said. But Cyborg understood what the alien was implying.

A few minutes later, Cyborg gave them the results of his search.

'Maternity Ward Mothers, 2005. 5 records found.

1) Caroline Lewis ("Next," they all agreed.)

2) Natasha Stuart

3) Raven Falle

4) Serentiy Winters

5) Alexis Rodreguiz'

"Try 'Raven Falle', that is the only logical one there," Nightwing said. Cyborg did so, and they all read the results.

'Name: Raven Falle

Age at time of delivery: 21

Husband/Father: Logan Falle

Child's Name: Rune Falle

Gender: female

Born: July 7, 2007

Weight: 9lb, 8oz'

"Very possible. Try the school in Raya. She's what, fifteen or sixteen now? Try the highschool." Nightwing said.

After a few minutes, they found the online yearbook of Matthias Highschool in Raya City. Cyborg then searched for Rune Falle. Finally, they found her picture.

"That is most definately Raven's daughter," Beast Boy said, gazing up at the blue-haired girl. In the picture, she held the book that was now in the Titans' posession, and was not smiling. There was no mistake that this was the daughter of their departed team mate.

"There's no address for Rune," Cyborg started, "but she's an eleventh grader, advanced classes, straight A's, definately _smart_ like Raven..."

"Who's that?" a voice from behind them asked. Starfire turned to see a seventeen-year-old boy, with spiky black hair who's tips were dyed red, red eyes (he wore contacts), and a look of curiosity on his face. He was wearing baggy jeans, brown sneakers, and a short-sleeved, white shirt.

"She is the daughter of an old friend," Starfire replied. The boy nodded.

"I'm going to go to her school, to see if I can follow her home. Maybe we'll find Raven soon," Nightwing said, heading towards the exit.

"Can I come?" the teenage boy asked. Nightwing looked back at him and nodded, well aware that he would be able to keep up.

**Awesome. So, that's the third chapter. Due to a review for this chapter, I changed it so it doesn't say 'then' as often as it did. Alright, click the awesome purple button that says 'GO' and send me a review! And if you have any questions, then ask me and I'll answer them! (Obviously...)**

**--Later!**


	4. Sebastian

**Yay! I love it when I get reviews. So, now you have the fourth chapter! Hooray for you! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and send a review!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans...but I own their _children,_ (evil laugh)**

Ch. 4: Sebastian

It was finally the end of the school day. Rune Falle had been given three homework assignments, four threats from other students, and she had almost been tripped in the halls about thirty times. You see, Rune was always a quiet, impassive person, never really talking to anyone. This annoyed the vast majority of students in her schools, so they labeled her a 'goth'. Or, as they like to call her, 'Satan's Bitch'.

The blue-haired girl was walking down the front steps of the school when she stopped to adjust her heavy bag. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, and so it was easy for one of the most spoiled, annoying girls in school, Cassidy Moth, to push her down the steps.

"Later, loser!" she called. Her friends all laughed. Rune rolled down the remaining stairs, suprisingly not injuring herself (minus a few cuts and bruises), and landed on the concrete sidewalk below. Some kids laughed and pointed her out to their friends, but Rune ignored them. She sat on her knees and began to gather her fallen things.

_'Pathetic, stupid, preppy, dumb, blonde, spoiled little bitc-'_

"Here, let me help you," someone said, interrupting Rune's thoughts on Cassidy. Rune looked up to see a teenager, probably a year older than herself, gathering some of her books and papers, then sticking them in her bag. Afterwards, he picked up her bag and held out his hand to help her up. Needless to say, Rune was shocked. No one _ever_ tried to help her before.

She slowly and cautiously took his hand, thinking that it may be -and most likely was- a trick. But no, he simply helped her stand, then began a conversation.

"Hi, I am Sebastian. Who are you?" he asked. Rune blinked.

"Rune," she said.

"Okay, Rune. Would you let me walk you home?" she raised an eyebrow.

After a minute, she simply shrugged and said, "Suit yourself," in her emotionless tone.

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Nightwing stayed in the shadows of the city buildings, silently following his son, and Raven's daughter.

He was a bit suprised when Rune let herself fall, without bothering to defend herself in the slightest. Does she not have powers like her mother? It almost looked like she didn't care one way or the other. He would have to look into this matter...

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Sebastian insisted on holding Rune's bag as they walked, telling her that it was too heavy, and that he would carry it for her. They were now on their way down the street, walking towards Rune's apartment building.

"So Rune, how long have you lived in Raya?" Sebastian asked, walking beside her on the right.

"My whole life. You?"

"Oh, I don't live here. I live in Jump."

"Really? Why are you here, then?"

"Hm... If I told you, I'd have to kill you," he said, his red eyes dancing with amusement. Rune shrugged it off.

"Alright then. Well, who do you live with?"

"My parents. What about you?"

"The same," Rune replied.

"Cool. So, what does your mom do?"

"Um... she's a defense attorney. Yours?"

"My mom... hm, she's kinda like a cop, I suppose. She always helps them out, so it is kinda like she's a hero," he said with a smirk.

"And your dad?"

"He is the leader of a- ah- AHCHOO!" Rune almost smiled at the outburst. Almost.

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Rune and Sebastian had finally made it to Rune's apartment on the ninth floor. They were currently in the kitchen, getting some drinks.

"Um, is tea fine?' Rune asked Sebastian, who was sitting at her counter.

"Yeah. So, where are your parents?" he asked, as she poured the beverage.

"Um, my mom's at work," she replied, sitting next to him, "and my dad... I really don't know." Sebastian rose an eyebrow at this statement.

"You don't know what your dad does for a living?" he asked.

"...no. It never really crossed my mind what my father does, nor did I ever really care."

"I see. Well, when does he come home?"

"Late. Normally I'm asleep by then, but sometimes I hear him come in," the girl replied.

Almost an hour of meaningless conversations, Rune said goodbye to Sebastian, and locked her front door behind him as he left. _'That has to be the most I have ever talked to someone in my whole life. Hell, that's probably just the most I've ever talked at all. Hm... he seems like a nice person. But maybe he's just pretending? It wouldn't be the first time that has happened to me... Well, anyway, I have algebra homework I need to get done ...And science...and geography...'_ She sighed. _'Don't I just **love **my teachers?' _she thought sarcastically.

**Yes, I know this is a short chapter (to me at least), and I'm sorry that it is boring and uneventful, but there have to be SOME chapters like that, right? Oh well. I'll make the next one more interesting. Scouts honor! (Well...I'm not a girl scout, but...) Anyway, press the awesome button to send me a message, and PEACE OUT!**


	5. Lateness Sucks and So Do Bruises

**Hello! Okay, so you guys obviously hated the last chapter (hence the NO REVIEWS I got for it), so I'm working on making it more interesting. Any suggestions? Anyway, please read and review! Whether your opinions are positive or negative, I need to know! **

**Thank you!**

**---Jaime**

**P.S. I just wanted to let you guys know, that this isn't a story focused around Red X and Raven (incase that's not obvious by now). It's mainly about their daughter, Rune. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own the Teen Titans, but Sebastian and Rune belong to me.**

Ch. 5: Lateness Sucks and So Do Bruises

The skies were cloudy when Rune woke up on Friday morning. It had been about a week since she had first met Sebastian, and she hadn't heard from him since. It didn't suprise her, though. She turned over in her bed and pushed a few strands of blue hair out of her matching eyes to look at the time.

_'Oh, it's only 6:30...'_ she thought, closing her eyes once more. But reality hit her seconds later. _'6:30? Awe, crap! I missed the bus!'_ Rune thought, leaping out of her bed and hurrying like mad to get ready for school. She didn't bother with her hair as she brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed her clothes, grabbed her bag, and ran out of her front door in a hurry.

_'Crap crap crap crap crap crap! Why the hell didn't my alarm go off?'_ She thought, jumping into the stairwell and running down the nine flights of stairs to get to the ground floor. As she ran out of the stairwell, she looked outside and realized that it was pouring rain._ 'Just my luck. Okay, I have less than forty-five minutes to get to school, it takes an hour on foot, and it's pouring rain. My parents don't have a car, and I don't know anyone who does. Oh well, screw the rain and get running!' _

Rune dashed out the door of her apartment building and ran down the street as fast as she could. She ran non-stop for twenty minutes before she stopped to catch her breath.

_'I have twenty-five minutes left to get to school. I can't stop now. Just keep running, Rune.'_

She was soaked to the bone and running out of energy, but still she was determined to get to school on time. Why, you may be asking? Why doesn't she just skip for the day, or come in late? Well, dear readers, she has end-of-the-year tests starting today, and she can't afford to miss them. She was up studying all last night, and refuses to let that go to waste.

She kept running, while focusing on her breathing and her time. Unfortunately for her, she ran straight into a woman with red hair who was walking out of an alley with three other guys. The two girls fell, and Rune got up first.

"Sorry!" she said, offering her hand to the woman. But she wasn't so forgiving.

"Wretched bitch! How dare you run into me like that?" the lady yelled, standing up with the help of one of the men. "I won't forgive you for ruining my perfect skirt! And why are you even running in the rain in the first place? You're pathetic, you little-!"

"Look," Rune started, her tone leaving apologetic and going straight into anger, "I said I was sorry. I even stopped what I was doing to try and help you, but you ignored that. I don't care if you're pissed at me, I don't care that I ruined your skirt, and I don't even care that you think I'm pathetic, so you can just shove it up your ass!" Rune yelled.

She started walking away, trying to get past one of the men and get to school, but luck just wasn't on her side today. One of the guys grabbed her arms from behind, while the other one punched her in the stomach. The first man released her as she fell to her hands and knees, and then kicked her in the back.

"We're going to teach you some respect, girly," he said, grabbing her buy the hair. Rune growled.

"I have a better idea. How about you let me go so that I can get to school on time and _not_ have detention for being absent without parental consent?" They laughed.

"You've got bigger problems now that detentions and inexcused absencies," the man in front of her said, taking out a pocket knife. "Tell me, little girl, do you know how to scream?" he asked, a sick smile on his face. The woman laughed.

"Go on, Danny. Teach her a lesson," she said. Danny smirked.

"With pleasure," he said. The un-named guy grabbed her arms again and held them behind her back, while Danny got down on his knees, the knife in hand. Unfortunately for him, he was caught off-guard when Rune kicked him in the face, a sickening crunch sounding from where her shoe made contact with his nose.

"Ah! Damn it!"

"Danny!"

"You bitch!" the other guy said, kneeing Rune hard in the back. He was about to do worse to her, preparing to punch her some more, when he himself was hit in the face, and sent flying backwards. Rune looked up to see what had happened, when she saw a man in a halloween costume looking down at her. He was wearing all black, with a tattered black cape and a white skull mask, and his attire had red X's in random places. The stranger grabbed her hand and pulled her up, then turned to face the remaining two people.

"Ah! Re-Red X! Fancy meeting you here! Eh he he..." the woman said, suddenly seeming very nervous. Danny, too, seemed to be a bit frightened by the arrival of the thief; Red X glared at them.

"Go on, kid," his computer modified voice said to Rune. "I'll take care of these idiots."

Rune looked at him, muttered a 'thanks', then continued running to school, though going a bit slower now, due to her bruises.

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"Rune, this is not acceptable. If you weren't one of Raya High's smartest students, I wouldn't be letting you take these tests, so consider yourselfe lucky," Principal Knave said, looking across her desk at the soaked Rune Falle who was currently in her office. "Since you were twenty-five minutes late to school, that gives you only half an hour to take the test. You may leave, and go to your homeroom."

Rune stood up and left the office without another word. _'She's such a pretty girl,'_ Principal Knave thought as she watched Rune leave, _'if only she would smile.'_

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Rune had entered her classroom and taken her test. It took her twenty minutes to finish it, and she was certain she'd made an A. As she was walking to first period, her mind wandered to the man who had helped her out that morning.

_'Who was he? They called him...Red X, was it? Hm...nice of him to help out, but I've never heard of him. Those guys seemed terrified of him, though. Was he a good guy? Probably. ...Or he was just a bad guy doing a good deed...'_

**Was this better? Is it more interesting, and are you going to review now? Please...? Oh well, I hope you liked it, even if you are going to be a meanie and not review.**

**---Peace!**


	6. Found You

**Okay, I shouldn't be writing this chapter for you non-reviewing meanies out there, but you've at least been reading my story, so I'm going to anyway. What have I been doing wrong? Hm... Oh well, maybe, if you stick with this story, you'll begin to like it more. (I hope so, at least...) So, PLEASE read and review. It means a lot to me to hear what you think about my work. Thank you!**

**-Jaime**

Ch. 6: Found You

Mrs. Raven Falle sat in her office in Raya City, working on putting together her latest case. She kept trying to focus on her job, but her thoughts kept drifting back to what her husband had told her earlier.

_'She didn't really fight back all that much. It's like she didn't care. I had to go help her out, then she ran to get to school.' _His words echoed through her mind, distracting her a great deal.

_'Does she not have powers?' _she thought. Sighing, she put down her pen and abandoned her paperwork. It's not like she was really concentrating, anyway... _'I need to talk to her. She could have been killed, or raped, or kidnapped, or anything!' _Tears were coming to the violet-haired woman's eyes, and they were becoming harder to supress. _'Oh, Rune... I don't even want to think about what would happen if your father wasn't there...'_

The loud ring of the telephone in her empty office brought her back to reality. She answered the phone without hesitation, and spoke in her monotone voice.

"Raven Falle speaking."

"Hey, Raven. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" the all-too-familiar voice on the other end said. Her eyes went wide as she dropped the phone out of shock.

_'Ah! What the-! No way. There's no way it's-'_

**Knock knock knock.**

The former heroine looked up at her door, then back down to the phone. She picked up the cordless device, then hung it up, not caring if the man was still on the line.

"Come in," she called, her voice a little shakey. The door opened, and Raven's eyes went wide. The man entered and closed the door behind himself, then walked the three paces to Raven's desk and smirked.

"It's not very nice to hang up on people, Raven."

"R- Robin?"

"Once upon a time. The name's Nightwing now," he said, sitting in the chair opposite of her. Raven couldn't believe it.

_'They found me.'_

"What are you doing here?" She intended to sound cold, but her voice wouldn't cooperate. Instead, she sounded as shocked as she was.

"I came to talk to you, Raven. I found you, now you need to answer my questions, or I'll call in the others. I just want to talk. Deal?" he asked, sounding friendly, yet serious. Raven nodded. "Okay, first question: Why didn't you tell us you were pregnant?"

"Because that was personal information. I didn't want you harassing me about everything you're about to harass me about."

"Uh huh. Well, then why did you leave?"

"To raise my child with my husband."

"And his name would be-?"

"Logan."

"Do we know him?" Raven paused briefly, then answered.

"No."

"You're lying," Nightwing stated simply. Raven glared at him.

"Even so, you wouldn't recognize him."

"Wanna bet?"

"Yes. Next question?"

"Why haven't you contacted us in so long?"

"If I had, you would have found me faster."

"Were you ever planning on contacting us?"

"Yes."

"..." Raven got the hint.

"When I knew for sure that my daughter had powers."

"And what if she never had powers?"

"She still doesn't."

"Hm... Are you aware that she doesn't fight back?"

"I am."

"Do you think this is related to her lack of powers?"

"No." Nightwing stared at her for a few moments before she continued. "She is like I was when I was her age, only she doesn't have any powers, and she is not trained to fight. Her words are her weapons, and that's all she uses. I had powers, and I had a purpose, therefore I fought back. She, however, does not have either of those. She believes that violence is pointless, and does not engage in physical contact with anyone."

"Hm. Okay, so do you think she'll ever realize any powers?"

"I don't know. Why are you so interested in her?" Raven asked, glared at the masked adult in her office.

"To see how we can train her, of course."

"What?" Raven asked, shocked. "She's not a titan!"

"Yet," Nightwing corrected.

"Ever! Do you know how dangerous that line of work is? And her without powers, making her a titan would be-!"

"Good for her. _My_ kid's a titan," he pointed out.

"_Your_ kid was raised in the tower. Rune doesn't even know that her mother and father were- well, that I have powers!"

"But you can still tell her."

"Well, yes, but-"

"Then it's settled. When will she come to the tower?"

"Never," Raven said coldly. "You can't just up and say, 'Hey Rune, how ya doin'? Oh, and by the way, your mom and her friends are super heroes for Jump City, isn't that awesome?' We have to break it to her gently!"

"Great, I'll help. When will she be home?' Nightwing asked, standing up to leave. Raven also stood, and walked around her desk to face him.

"Why do you want her to know so badly?"

"Why do you want to keep her in the dark so badly?" he countered. Raven was speechless for a moment, but then looked at the ground sadly.

"...She's not ready."

"Yes she is. You can't protect her forever-"

"I can sure as hell try..."

"-but we can teach her to potect herself. And if it turns out that she ends up having powers too, then at least she'll be familiar with us. We can teach her self defense. Today's her last day at school anyway, right? Let her stay at the tower for the summer, where we'll train her. Then she can come back and finish highschool when it starts again. After that, if she has powers, or if she just wants to come back for the heck of it, we can let her make that choice."

Raven couldn't deny the logic in Robin- um, _Nightwing's_ words, so she slowly nodded her head, then went to put on her black trench coat over her black work clothes.

"I'll take you to my home. She should be there already, so when we get there, I'll introduce you and tell her everything. But if she doesn't want to go with you, will you leave us alone?"

"Probably not," he answered with a smirk. She glared at him, then left her office with Nightwing in tow.

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Rune was in her room reading a book when she heard her mother come home. But, she also heard another man with her.

"-I'll go get her, just go down the hall and to the living room. And _don't touch anything,_" she heard her mother say, as soft footsteps made their way closer to Rune's door. Raven knocked, then opened the door.

"Rune, there's someone out here I'd like you to meet," she said softly. Rune nodded and followed her mother out to the living room. There stood a tall man with long black hair, a black unitard with a blue bird on it, and a black mask. "Rune, this is my friend Nightwing. Nightwing, this is my daughter Rune." Nightwing nodded to her, as she simply stared at him.

_'Hm... was my mom in the circus before she got married? I always wondered about her purple hair...'_

**Okay, so that was the sixth chapter. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! I really want to know what you guys think about this story! It doesn't take that long! Anyway, I hope you like the story so far, and I hope you'll stick with it. **

**---Jaime **


	7. Arrival

**Okay, well if anyone likes this story and has been waiting for it, then I'm sorry I haven't updated. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I may re-upload the other chapters because I've noticed typos that need to be fixed because they ANNOY me, so yeah... They'll still be the same, though. Just typo-less.**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: It seems that I forgot to put this in the last chapter... I do not own the Teen Titans. I will never own the Teen Titans. **

Ch. 7: Arrival

Rune, Raven, and Nightwing were all sitting in the Falle's living room. Raven and Rune sat on the couch, while Nightwing sat in the chair across from them. An uncomfortable silence hung about the room, until Raven decided to break it.

"So, Rune, we have some things that we need to tell you. Important things that you need to understand to know more about me, your father, and yourself. Okay?" Rune nodded to her mother, and Raven continued. "Okay. Well, when I was your age, I was a superhero. This man Nightwing is my old friend and leader of our team. I was a Teen Titan, a group of heroes that protects Jump City."

"Uh huh... Mom, have you suffered from a recent head injury?" Rune asked. Raven sighed.

"No. I am perfectly serious."

"Okay, if you say so..."

Rune's tone of voice was all the two adults needed to know that she did not believe her mother. Therefore, Raven decided to prove it to her.

"Rune, would you like some tea?" she asked. Rune looked at her stoically, then responded.

"Um, sure."

Raven nodded, then held her hands out before her. Rune watched curiously as a black light covered Raven's hands and her eyes began to glow white. A few seconds later, their silver teapot, three mugs, and three spoons with sugar floated into the living room. Rune's eyes went wide as they began to prepare three cups of tea all by themselves, afterwards proceeding to float to each person in the room. She caught her mug and looked at her mother incredulously, then nodded.

"Okay, so you aren't kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"Alright, I'm listening," Rune said, taking a sip of her tea and looking expectantly at her mother.

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With the help of Nightwing, Raven had explained about her past and the life she led to Rune. After her mother's display of powers, Rune didn't question Raven's sanity. Instead, she believed everything she was told about her life as a Titan. Now the three were sitting in the living room, talking about Rune.

"So you think I might have powers like you?"

"Yes, it's most likely. I would think that being my daughter you should have powers..."

"Maybe her powers haven't been...activated, for lack of a better word," Nightwing suggested. Raven nodded.

"That's very possible. It took me a while to realize my powers, as well."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough whether you have them or not. Today was your last day at school, right Rune?" Nightwing asked. Rune nodded in reply. "How would you feel about coming to live at the Tower for the summer?" he asked.

"...That depends. Why would I come live with you and your team?"

"I'd like you to meet them. Plus, we can train you to be able to fight, in order to defend yourself. I think that would be a useful thing for you to learn."

"Fighting, whether physical or not, is pointless."

"Not all the time. It would be good to know incase of an emergency. Wouldn't you want to know how to defend yourself if you ever got cornered by a street gang again?" Rune glared at him.

"Are you a stalker, or something?"

"No."

"Then how did you know about that?"

"I have my sources," he replied with a smirk, which was returned with another glare.

"I _suppose _that self-defense may prove useful, but what do I do when your team goes off on missions, or when I'm not training?"

"You could socialize with the others."

"I don't socialize."

"Well, it's all up to you. But I need to know by tonight so I can get everything ready." Nightwing said. Raven, who had simply sat watching the conversation, was now staring at her daughter intently, awaiting her answer.

After what felt like an hour of deadly silence, Rune finally spoke to Nightwing.

"Just for the summer?"

"That's right."

"You don't need to brainwash me or anything after I leave?"

"No, I don't think so."

"And I can leave if I don't like it? I'm not going to be forced to stay?"

"You got it."

"...Alright, I see no harm in that." Rune stated. Raven smiled, and Nightwing nodded.

"Okay. Can you be ready to leave by tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes."

"See you then," Nightwing said, then he stood and left the apartment.

"You sure you want to go, Rune?" Raven asked after a moment of silence. Rune nodded.

"Yes. I think it might be...interesting. Besides, I don't really have anything else to do this summer, so..." Raven nodded in reply.

"Alright, well let's go pack some stuff for you. Oh, and your father should be home in about an hour, so I need to tell him about this," Raven said, as the two stood and walked to Rune's room. Rune got a suitcase and a back pack from her closet, then opened them and put them on her bed.

"Do you think he'll be okay with this?" she asked, as Raven used her powers to pack her clothes in the suitcase tightly.

"He'll have to be. It's your decision, not his. But he might want to talk to you about some things before you go."

"Like...?" Rune asked, placing a few books in her rarely-used back pack.

"Well, you learned all about me and my friends," Raven finished with the clothes and closed the suitcase. "but you don't even know what your dad's job is, do you?" Rune was now packing pencils, lined paper, and blank paper.

"Uh, not really, no..."

"Exactly."

"Okay, so what's his job?"

"Uh... well, I'll let him tell you himself. When he gets home."

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The next day, Rune sat in her living room with her mother. Logan had already gone to work, and so the two women were waiting for Nightwing to show up. Rune's two fully packed bags were by the door, ready to go. After a little while, the doorbell finally rang, and Raven went to answer it. Rune could hear her talking to people, and then foot steps coming down the hall towards the living room.

"Hey. Rune, right?" someone said. Rune turned her head from her position on the couch and saw a tall man who was half robot, smiling down at her.

_'So, this must be that guy "Cyborg" they were telling me about. Okay then, he seems cool.'_

"Yes," she replied after a moment.

"Alright, well, we're all ready to go," he said, as Rune stood and followed him down the hall and to the kitchen. "Incase Nightwing hasn't told you yet, my name's Cyborg," he said, extending his hand to her. She shook his hand in greeting and nodded.

"Yes, they told me."

"Rune, do you have everything?" Nightwing asked from his place by the front door. Rune nodded, and put her blue back pack on. She gave her mother a goodbye hug and followed Nightwing out of her apartment.

"Cyborg will come down in a minute with your suitcase," Nightwing said as they walked to the elevator, "he just wants to say hi to your mom a little first."

_'This guy was my mom's friend, huh? He reminds me of someone... I just can't remember who...'_

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It was around six P.M. and the two heroes and their guest were now driving Cyborg's car down a busy street in Jump City.

_'I wonder why the car matches the driver?'_

They had been driving for a while now, and the sun was starting to set. Rune was looking out of her window when she saw an island. On the island there was a giant 'T' shaped tower, which Rune presumed to be their destination. As she was wondering how they got there, Cyborg turned his car off of the road and into the bay. At least, that's what _Rune_ thought until she saw that they were infact hovering over the water.

_'Interesting car...'_

After a few more minutes, the three of them made it to the island and entered the garage. Rune exited the car and slung her bag over her shoulder, following Cyborg (who was carrying her suitcase) and Nightwing to wherever they were taking her.

As they walked down the many long hallways of the tower, Rune began to hear compettitive shouting.

"-no way that I would lose to you, Beast Boy!"

"Yeah, well I'm not gonna let you win, either!"

"Almost...yes...no! Yes, wait, yes, yes, YES! Ha! In your face!"

"Nnnnnnoooooooooo! No way! How'd you do that? I want a rematch!"

"Too bad! I kicked your butt! Ha ha! Go me! Go me! Uh huh!"

"Hey! Who taught you the super secret victory dance?"

"It's not really that secret, since Cy does it every time _he_ beats you."

"Well, true...HEY!"

They finally entered the room with all the shouting, and Rune saw that it was the main room. In the kitchen was a tall red headed woman, who was cooking some gooey pink stuff that was boiling in a pot. She looked straight ahead and saw two guys sitting on a rather large couch playing video games. From what she could see, the one guy was green, and had pointy ears. The other guy looked normal, and he had black hair with red spikes.

Finally, Rune remembered who Nightwing reminded her of.

"Sebastian?"

**Was that interesting? Okay, it was long and boring, but you needed to have this chapter so you know how she got to the tower. REVIEW _PLEASE_! **


	8. Titans Tower

**Yay! I'm happy. I'm getting reviews now. Thank you, those of you awesome people who reviewed (you know who you are)! Well, here's the next chapter. I had planned on posting this on Tuesday, but I already had it written, so you guys get to read it sooner! (Just please don't expect a new chapter every other day!)**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the iPod company, and the Titans are still not mine, but the characters who are not on the show are MINE.**

Ch. 8: Titans Tower

Sebastian and Beast Boy looked behind them and saw Rune standing with the other Titans. Sebastian smiled and jumped over the back of the couch, walking over to greet their guest.

"Hey, Rune! Haven't seen you in a while," he said in a friendly tone. Rune was suprised that he even remembered her name, considering no one _else_ ever had.

"Uh, yeah. Long time no see," she responded. Starfire chose this moment to say hello.

"Greetings, daughter of Raven!" she exclaimed, flying over and giving Rune one of her famous rib-crushing hugs. Fortunately for Rune, she let go after a few seconds.

_'Ow. Wait- she can fly? There's something you don't see every day...'_

Starfire was now floating next to Sebastian, and Rune could see a resemblance between the two.

"Oh, let me introduce you," Sebastian said. "This is my mother, Starfire."

"I am very happy to make your acquaintance!"

"That guy is Beast Boy."

"What's up?"

"That's Cyborg."

"We've met."

"And that's my father, Nightwing," Sebastian finished. Rune nodded in response, then settled for looking all around the main room, uncomfortable with the attention being given to her. As if sensing her discomfort, Nightwing spoke up.

"Sebastian, why don't you take our guest to her new room?" And so he did. Grabbing her suitcase from Cyborg, Sebastian led the way out of the main room and through the hallways of Titans Tower.

"So... do you like my house?" Sebatian asked the blue-haired girl that was walking next to him.

"I think I may end up getting lost here," she replied monotonously. He smiled.

"That's a big possibility."

"You never told me you lived in a tower."

"I haven't told you a lot of things."

"Such as-?"

"Hm... you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you?" Sebastian replied, smirking at the now curious Rune.

"Hn."

They walked down a few more hallways and up two flights of stairs before finally stopping outside of a door. Sebastian punched in a code and the door slid open to reveal a big room. The two walked inside and set Rune's bags down on the floor. There were two large windows with black curtains straight ahead that overlooked the bay. On the right wall was a black bed, with white sheets, black pillow cases, and a blue comforter. Next to that was a metal nightstand with a small blue lamp. On the left was a metal desk (painted black) with a flat-screen computer (in gray) and a black chair. There was also a closet door on that wall. The walls were painted white, and the floor was painted navy.

"Do you like it?" Sebastian inquired, studying Rune for a reaction.

"Yes, it's cool," she said convincingly. "I like the colors."

"My parents figured you would."

Rune grabbed her bag and went over to the desk to place it on the floor next to the computer. Sebastian then put her suitcase on the bed so she could unpack later on.

"So, are you the only kid who lives here?" Rune asked, turning back to face the other teen.

"No, actually two other kids live here, as well."

"And they would be-?"

"Well, there's Covyll, he's pretty interesting, and there's Andrew, he's Cyborg's adoptive son. You'll meet the two of them tonight, actually."

"I see. Is Cyborg married?"

"Yes, actually. Her name is Bumble Bee, she's the leader of the Titans East."

"Oh. And Beast Boy?"

"Sadly, no. But he's been dating this one girl he really likes, so we'll see where that goes."

_'Why am I even asking about these people's lives when I really don't care?'_

"Okay. Well, now what?"

"It's about time for dinner, and Cy's making is world famous spaghetti with triple meat sauce! C'mon, let's go back to the main room before Beast Boy tries to fill the pot with _tofu_ again."

"Um, okay..." And so Rune followed Sebastian out of her new room and back down the halls.

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Everyone was seated at the dining room table in Titans Tower, all enjoying the meal prepared by Cyborg. The seating was as follows: Nightwing on the end, Starfire, Cyborg, Sebastian, Rune, and Beast Boy on the other end.

"-and then the doctor said-"

"Please, Beast Boy! We've had enough of your bad jokes to last a lifetime," Cyborg said, interrupting the green comedian wanna-be.

"Cyborg's right, we're trying to eat," Sebastian said in agreement.

"Sebastian," Starfire began, "mah rubah fleearp, dro mah zo?" she asked him in Tameranian. Beast Boy and Rune were confused, but everyone else at the table understood the language perfectly, so they knew why Sebastian suddenly choked on his drink.

"What! What are you talking about, mom?" he responded in english, a faint blush detectable upon his cheeks. Starfire smirked.

"I thought as much," she replied.

"No, wait, you thought what? That I-? No! It- it's not like that!" he said nervously.

"Give it a rest, Sebastian," Cyborg said, smirking at the boy. "It's pretty obvious."

"What's obvious?" Sebastian asked.

"That you do," Nightwing said.

"I do what?" Sebastian demanded.

"Rubah fleearp, of course," Starfire stated.

"But-!"

"Hey! What are you guys talking about?" Beast Boy asked.

"And what language is that?" Rune added.

"Hm? Oh, that's Tameranian, Starfire's native language. And, no. We refuse to speak in english, Beast Boy," Nightwing said.

"Grrrrrr... Why not?"

"Because it's more fun to watch you struggle to figure out what we're saying," Cyborg said.

"Hey!"

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After dinner, everyone -minus Rune, who was in her room- sat in the main room. Nightwing was losing to Cyborg in a video game, Beast Boy was doing the dishes, Starfire was playing with Silkie (can you believe it's lived this long?), and Sebastian was playing games on his black iPod Nano.

**'_Do do do da DOO do do da do_' **Came the ring of Sebastian's Titan communicator. He opened the device and saw two teenage boys on the screen. The slightly shorter one had short black hair with with chin length bangs covering his right eye. He had silver eyes and fair skin, and was wearing a blue T-shirt with black pants and white sneakers.The other teen had short black hair and green eyes. He had dark skin, and was wearing a white T-shirt with jeans and black sneakers.

"So are you gonna open the door, or what?" Said the shorter one.

"Nice to see you, too," Sebastian said sarcastically. He closed the communicator and left the main room, heading for the front door.

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"Took you long enough," the silver-eyed teen said when Sebastian answered the door.

"Shut up, Covyll. You could've just typed in the Tower's code and come up yourself," Sebastian answered, letting the boys enter.

"Whatever. So, anything interesting happen lately?"

"Yeah, we have a visitor here." The three teens began walking back to the main room and continued their conversation, while turning down a few halls and entering the stairwell.

"Really? Who is it?" Andrew (the nicer teen) asked.

"Her name is Rune, she's an ex-Titan's daughter."

"Does the wench have powers?" Covyll asked.

"_'Wench'_?" a cold female voice from behind them repeated. The three boys turned to see Rune standing three steps below them, looking at Covyll with a murderous glare.

"So I take it that's her?" the rude teen asked, eyeing her up and down. "Too easy," he mumbled to himself.

"Covyll, don't be such an ass," Andrew said. He then turned to Rune. "Sorry about him. My name's Andrew," he said with a kind smile. "You're Rune, right?"

"Yes. It's nice to meet you, Andrew," she said politely. Looking back at Covyll once again with her evil glare in place, she asked coldly, "And what do you mean by 'Too easy'?" He smirked.

"You would be too easy to get into bed."

"Covyll!" Sebastian exclaimed, smacking the seventeen-year-old hard in the back of the head.

"Well, it's true," he said.

"I will not even dignify that statement with a response," Rune said, looking about ready to kill Covyll.

Trying to get her attention off of the being that insulted her, Sebastian asked, "So, what are you doing here, Rune?"

"I was trying to figure out how to get back to the main room."

"Ah! A damsel in distress! Come, fair Lady, and let us brave knights," Andrew gestured to Sebastian and himself, "and our jackass," he pointed to Covyll, who glared in response, "escort you to your destination! Onward!" Andrew began walking up the steps, followed by a confused Rune, a laughing Sebastian, and an annoyed Covyll.

**Okay, that was chapter eight! Yayness. So we've met two new Titans, Andrew and Covyll. I like both of their personalities, what about you? Even if _Covyll_ is a jerk, Cyborg's son Andrew is awesome! You'll learn more about those two (their ages, families, powers, etc.) in the next chapter. Oh, and I'm not going to tell you what Starfire said in Tameranian during dinner, because you'll find out in a later chapter. But you can send me a review with your guess!**

**---Jaime**


	9. Out of Character

**Not much to say here, just enjoy your next chapter, and thank you for reviewing, those of you who did! **

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Rune, Andrew, Covyll, and Sebastian. **

Ch. 9: Out Of Character

The four teens finally made it to the main room after a few more minutes of walking. Now Nightwing sat on the sidelines as Beast Boy got his butt kicked several times in a row at the video game he was playing with Cyborg. Starfire sat on the sidelines, as well, cheering on Cyborg as he did his vctory dance.

"Thank you, Andrew," Rune said as they all went to sit at the dinner table.

"T'was a pleasure to serve you, my Lady," Andrew said with a bow before sitting next to Covyll. From left to right, their seating was Sebastian, Andrew, Rune, then Covyll.

"So, what can you do?" Covyll asked suddenly, staring at Rune. She looked at him oddly, not answering the question. "What are your powers?" he explained after a moment of silence.

"Oh. I don't know." He scoffed at this.

"You don't know of your own abilities? How pathetic."

"Lay off, Covyll," Sebastian intervened. "She only just found out that her mother was a heroine."

"Don't mind him, he's just an arrogant prick. He has a softer side, if you get to know him," Andrew stated, earning an elbow to his ribcage from Covyll for that last coment.

"So what can _you_ do?" Rune asked. Covyll smirked.

"I can control water," he stated proudly. "Watch."

Covyll held his right hand straight out infront of him and concentrated. After a few seconds, the four of them saw a stream of water from the sink floating trough the air. It swirled around his hand a few times before it began to shape into something. After a few seconds, the shape became clearer, and they all saw that it was a miniature replica of the four of them. Sebastian and Covyll stood infront of each other, each in a fighting stance. On the sidelines stood Andrew -who was laughing his head off about something- and Rune -who was reading a very long book.

"Impressive," Rune stated flatly. Ignoring her lack of enthusiasm, Covyll then proceeded to make the water freeze. Once completely frozen, the mini-teenagers landed gently on the table with a soft 'Thud'. The icy group was perfectly crafted.

"Do you live here all the time?" she asked him. He nodded.

"I visit my dad once a week, usually on Saturdays."

"Yeah, he can't live in the water like Aqualad can, so he only sees him once in a while," Sebastian said.

"...Who's Aqualad?"

"My father, duh," Covyll answered. Rune glared.

"Another Titan," Andrew replied.

"I see. So what about you, Andrew?"

"What can I do?" Rune nodded. "I can fly, and I am extremely smart. I can reeeaaad your miiiiind," he added, trying to sound spooky (even waving his arms around for a dramatic effect).

"Really." It came out as more of a skeptical statement rather than a question.

"Mm hm, watch," Andrew said. He grabbed her hand, ignoring her annoyed gaze at the physical contact, and he closed his eyes.

_'If he doesn't let go of my hand I swear that I will-!'_

"Well, sorry, but I need to hold your hand in order to hear your thoughts," Andrew said, smirking slightly. It wasn't exactly true, but he did it anyway.

_'What the-? Oh. I see. So he wasn't lying.'_

"Well of course I wasn't lying," he said, letting go of her hand and opening his eyes.

"Whatever," she said, secretly hoping that he would never read her mind again. Turning to Sebastian, she asked, "And last but not least, what can you do? Your mother can fly, and I assume that is not her only power, so what did you inherit?" Sebastian smirked.

"How about I show you?" Rune didn't like his mischievious tone of voice, but she nodded anyway. "Okay, follow me," he said, standing and walking out of the main room with the other three in pursuit.

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The four teens all stood out on the obstacle course. Because it was dark out, Sebastian had turned on the lights that were sporadically placed around the feild, giving them plenty of light. They all stood together (minus Andrew, who was floating) as Sebastian talked to Rune.

"Okay, I'm going to give you a ten second head start and then-"

"Wait, what?" she asked the red-eyed teen that stood infront of her.

"I will give you a ten second head start. You know, to run? Then I'll come chase you," he explained slowly, as if to a child. Rune glared at him.

"This is _not_ what I had in mind," she stated coldly.

"Well, I'd get running, Rune. Time's not on your side at the moment."

"You're not serious?"

"Five...four...three..."

Surely he was joking. There's no way that he would really attack her...right? Well, just to be safe, Rune ran like mad to get away from Sebastian, and she hid herself among a bunch of boulders many, _many_ yards away.

_'This is pathetic. Hiding like a coward. They were probably joking, anyway. Playing a trick, or something. Just to scare me. Just to get under my skin. Any minute now Sebastian and the others will walk over here laughing at my stupidity to have actually believed them...'_

Well, Rune was right about one thing, because Sebastian and the others _did_ walk over laughing, but Rune saw that they were not joking. Sebastian's eyes were glowing red, as were his hands.

"Found you!" he yelled out, throwing a glowing red starbolt at her, which she easily dodged.

"Are you trying to kill me?" she yelled, motioning to the now smoking pile of rocks that had once been a boulder. He smirked.

"Of course not, Rune. Just giving you a first-hand display of what my powers can do!" At that, he began running towards her, hands still glowing red, aiming to fire. But Rune wasn't about to let that happen. She began running away from him, jumping over rocks and around boulders to get away from her 'attacker', who simply pushed the boulders out of his way with ease. She was considerably faster than Sebastian. Or maybe he was letting her get farther ahead? Either way, she knew she wasn't going to end up like that boulder.

After a few minutes of running, she looked behind her to see no one in sight. Cautiously, she stopped to catch her breath. When that was covered, she stood up straight and looked around. Still no one.

_'Perhaps they abandoned their game and went inside?'_

"No such luck, Rune," Andrew said, flying up beside her. "They're coming for ya, I think you should get running."

Rune looked up at him, then glared.

"I thought you could only read my thoughts if you were touching me?" she said accusingly. He put his hands up defensively and sweatdropped, backing away.

"Eh he he, well you see, the funny thing about that is-"

"Oh, there you are, wench. Damn, you're pretty fast. We were looking all over for you," Covyll said, walking next to Sebastian, who looked about ready to throw a starbolt at the teen for calling Rune a 'wench' again.

Covyll walked over to Rune and said, "Heh, aren't you going to run?" She said nothing. "Not much to say, huh? Well, I suppose a bitch like you can't be expected to have much of a brain, anyway. Why don't you go back to the Tower like a good little wench? I'll even let you spend the night in my room, if you'd like?" He smirked at her, apparently proud at his little speech. Rune stood her ground, glaring defiantly at the boy. How _dare_ he speak to her like that? This little game had gone on long enough, in Rune's mind, and so she decided to take control of the situation. Sebastian was about to yell at Covyll for speaking to Rune in such a manner, but she had a better idea...

**SMACK!**

She stood over Covyll, who now lay on his back in the dirt. He was holding his jaw, looking impressed at Rune's ability to punch him. And so _hard_... Sebastian and Andrew were both standing on the sidelines. After they had gotten over the initial shock that Rune had punched Covyll, they werelaughing so hard that tears were coming out of their eyes and it was getting hard to breathe.

"I do not believe that I even _need_ to tell you now, to _never_ talk to me like that again. I do not appriciate being called a bitch, a wench, or whatever _else_ you might have in store for me. I will not tolerate your attitude any longer. It would be wise of you to never piss me off.Do it again, and your jaw won't be the _only_ bruised part of your body when_ I_ get through with you." Her threat was backed up with a frightening death glare to go along with the icy tone of voice she used. She walked away from him, then past Andrew and Sebastian, who were wiping their eyes of the tears from laughing so hard. She then left the obstacle course and went back into the tower, leaving the boys alone.

After a few minutes, Covyll finally got off of the ground. His left side of his face now had a nasty black and purple bruise forming on it, not to mention a little swelling... He walked over to Sebastian and Andrew, then smirked.

"You've got one tough girlfriend there, 'Bastian."

"Yeah, she hit you pretty...WAIT! She's NOT my girlfriend! She's just a girl, who just so happens to be my friend. Nothing more!" Sebastian defended himself.

"Covyll's got a point though, man. You _were_ getting all protective over her when Covyll called her a few names."

"Well, he was being a jerk! I wouldn't let him call _any_ girl names like that unless she really deserved it."

"Whatever," Covyll stated. "Let's get back inside, it's getting hot out here." And so the three boys began walking back to the tower, Sebastian deep in thought.

_'First my mom, then Covyll. Damn it! Why won't they understand that I _don't_ like her like that? She's just my friend.'_

Sebastian was almost sure of himself this time. Rune was just someone he hung out with, just like Andrew and Covyll. And just because he wanted to defend her, didn't mean he liked her like _that_...right?

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Rune sat in her new bed room thinking about the three boys she had abandoned for the security of her now locked door. She had never spent so much time around people before, and it was starting to scare her a little that she had been acting so out of character.

_'Normally I would have taken the insult without any emotions whatsoever, then just walked away like it was nothing. What posessed me to hit him when I've never hit anyone before? And it's not like those were the worst insults I had ever gotten. Those weren't even all that insulting, just some name calling. So why?'_

Maybe it's because you're tired of being pushed around?

_'True, but I usually ignore it. I don't care about what people call me, or any insults they throw at me. I don't care what people think about me, just so long as I'm left alone.'_

But why alone? Why do you have to be so isolated?

_'Isolation is my security. It ensures that no one will ever have anything they can use against me. Friends and lovers will only end up hurting you in the end.'_

Psh. You had _one friend_ betray you and now you don't trust anyone.

_'Damn right! Look at how many people hate me, and are afraid of me. No one has made an attempt to get to know me, and that's how I like it. Alone.'_

What about Sebastian? 

Silence.

Thought so. Don't be so afraid to open up around people. At least try to make friends with _him_!_ He's _being a friend to you. _He_ was going to defend you from Covyll, but you beat him to it. _He's_ a nice person. Are you saying you want nothing to do with him? 

_'...He is kind of nice. But why should I let my guard down? He may end up betraying me, just like _she_ did... Then again...'_

Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to talk to?

_'That would be asking for a miracle...'_

You never know. Miracles happen every day.

Rune thought for a while about the conversation she'd just had, before it dawned on her that she'd been talking to herself. But then why did it sound like an actual person? She knew that _she_ hadn't thought those things...

_'Oh well. So I'm going insane. Big deal.'_

Hey! You're not going insane! Don't insult me like that!

_'...Yep. I am definately crazy. The voice in my head has now become offended... creepy.'_

I'm not a voice in your head!

Once more. Silence.

Okay, well...technically I _am_, but regardless. You're not crazy.

_'If I'm not crazy, then why am I talking to you, Annoying-Voice-In-My-Head-That-Sounds-Oddly-Enough-Just-Like-Me?'_

I have a name, you know!

_'...I need sleep. After I sleep, then I will not be insane anymore.'_

And so Rune proceeded to crawl into her bed and curl up under the covers. She soon fell asleep, dreaming about seven girls that looked exactly like her, only each one was a different color, and a different attitude... Perhaps she should see a therapist? Oh well. She'd think about it more when she woke up.

**Okay, there you have it! Chapter nine! Now be a good little reader and send me a nice little review, okay?**


	10. Birthday Suprises

**Hello! Thank you for the reviews! Please read and review this one! **

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Titans, but I do own this story, and I greatly enjoy writing it.**

Ch. 10: Birthday Suprises

It had been a little over a month since Rune had come to Titans Tower. Every day she had been there, the Titans (including Andrew, Covyll, and Sebastian) had taken turns teaching Rune self defense. She was progressing well, and Raven, who had been informed every week about Rune's success, was very proud of her daughter. Red X was also proud of Rune, he simply did not like the fact that she was with the Titans.

Currently, Rune was in her dark bedroom after a long training session with Starfire, the only light coming from the monitor. She had been at her computer for a good three hours before she realized that it was almost midnight.

_'...I guess I should go to sleep. I can keep reading tomorrow.'_

She closed out the windows and turned off the computer, now blind due to the lack of light in her room. Even so, she stood and made her way slowly to her bed as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She crawled into bed, not bothering with pyjamas, and pulled the covers over herself.

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**Knock knock knock knock knock! **

"Rune, wake up!"

**Knock knock knock!**

"Rune, come on, get up!"

**Knock knock knock!**

"Come on, Rune!"

Ignoring Sebastian's loud knocking, Rune continued to lay in her bed, though she was now fully awake.

"Oi, wench! Get your ass out here!" Covyll said. Rune glared at her ceiling, but smirked when she heard the satisfying 'thump' of a body falling to the ground. "Geez, I was only trying to help..."

"Yeah, well, stop calling her a wench!" Sebastian said. He tried knocking on the door a few more times before Andrew offered his assistance.

"Hey, Rune," he said. "You need to wake up!"

"I am awake," she stated aloud, knowing full well the others could hear her.

"Well, you need to get out of your bed and come out of your room."

"Why?"

"Because we said so, ya damn- OW! Hey! Adults can't hit children!

"Serves you right," Sebastian said to a complaining Covyll.

"Because, um... you just need to!"

"But why? You've yet to give me a good reason to get out of bed." The next person to answer, however, was not one of the teenage boys outside of her door.

"Because your parents are here, and we're not going to wait forever for you to get out of your bed," Raven said from the foot of Rune's bed. Rune, out of shock, jumped about a foot in the air and landed with a painful 'thump' on her floor. Rubbing her elbows as she stood, Rune looked over at her mother, who was smirking.

"How'd you get in here?" she asked the violet haired woman, walking over to her closet for a change of clothes.

"You honestly think a locked door will keep me out? Hurry up and get changed, and come to the main room when you're done. Your father's here, and I have to go watch him to make sure he doesn't start a fight," Raven answered, walking over to Rune's door and then phasing through it.

Rune blinked, suprised that her mother had just gone through the door, then got dressed and brushed her hair. She walked out of her bedroom and saw that everyone had left, so she walked down the halls and to her destination. When the main room door slid open for her, she was bombarded with confetti and loudness.

"SUPRISE!" Everyone yelled at the same time. Rune had been shocked into silence at the sudden noise, so she took in her surroundings. There were balloons and streamers all over the ceiling. On the table was a cake with white frosting and ten place settings. Over by the couch was a pile of boxes wrapped in colorful wrapping paper. And last but not least, a sign came down from the ceiling that said "Happy Birthday, Rune!" on it.

After concluding that this was indeed a birthday party, Rune walked into the room with a very subtle smile on her face. She was led the the table by three hyper teenage boys (gee, I wonder who they could be?) and forced to sit in front of the large white cake. Everyone soon followed, taking their seats. They sat as follows: Nightwing, Starfire, Sebastian, Cyborg, Andrew, Covyll, Rune, Raven, and Logan (A/N Remember- 'Logan' is 'Red X' without the costume on). Starfire expertly used her starbolts to light the seventeen birthday candles quickly, and everyone stared at Rune with smiles on their faces.

Hesitantly, Rune asked, "Um...shouldn't we eat breakfast before cake?" The adults in the room saw logic in this, but Andrew, Covyll, Sebastian, and Beast Boy (who was still a little short for an adult, but he looked older) argued against this point. Eventually, Rune sighed and stared at the birthday candles curiously.

"Happy birthday to you," everyone began singing, as Raven used her powers to close the curtains and turn out the lights, the only light now coming from the flames of the candles.

_'What should I wish for?'_

"Happy birthday to you,"

Wish for what you really want.

_'You again? Hm... what DO I want?'_

"Happy birthday, dear Rune,"

_'I'm going to wish...'_

"Happy birthday to you." As everyone finished singing the song to Rune, she took a deep breath and made her wish as she blew out all of the candles.

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Everyone sat at the table devouring their slices of cake, while having conversation.

"So, Logan, where did you meet Raven?" And so it began. Nightwing waited for Logan, a.k.a. Red X to answer his question, while Raven inwardly groaned, knowing that this would be a long interrogation if no one stopped it.

"I met her at a bookstore, on Rikers and 3rd," Logan lied convincingly. Raven and he had already decided the answers they would give beforehand, so the Titans wouldn't know that they were lying.

"And when did you decide to marry her? After how long, I mean."

"Hm...probably about a year after we started dating." Well, that one wasn't a lie.

"And did you get her pregnant before or after you got married?" Raven and Logan both glared at Nightwing, the former about to yell when Logan beat her to it.

"That's none of your buisness, and don't ask us such personal questions again, or-!"

"Just don't ask us such personal questions," Raven interjected, stopping Logan from saying something that could give them away. Nightwing nodded slightly, then resumed his questioning of Mr. Falle.

Ignoring the interrogation, Beast Boy turned to Rune.

"So, what'd you wish for?" he asked. Rune promptly blushed at the question and averted her eyes to her slice of cake. This grabbed the attention of the other teens and Cyborg.

"Well? What did you wish for?" Covyll asked.

"...I can't tell you that," Rune replied.

"Why not?" Andrew asked?

_'Because it's personal,' _Rune thought, forgetting that Andrew could read minds (which, thankfully, he wasn't doing at the moment).

"Because if she tells us," Sebastian said, "it won't come true. Right, Rune?" Rune nodded, thankful for the excuse, and the conversation continued.

"Oh, okay. Well, I would have wished for a moped!" Beast Boy said, going starry-eyed at the mere thought.

"Dude, you're an adult! Get a job and _buy one_!" Cyborg said.

"No way! I have had bad experiences with jobs! Everything I worked with blew up in my face! The game station, the vacuum, the balloon, the _moped_-everything!"

"Yeah, whatever. So, Rune, ready to open your presents?" Andrew asked. Rune shrugged indifferently, and was immediately dragged over to the couch by Andrew and Sebastian, everyone else following. Nightwing decided to stop his interrogation for the moment, and walked over to the couch with Rune's parents.

After everyone was settled either on the floor, like Rune, or on the couch. Rune picked up a package, opening the card first to see that it was from her mother. She slowly tore the wrapping paper and saw that the gift was three different books, each one being at least five inches thick. Minus the Falles, everybody's eyes went wide and their jaws dropped when they saw how thick the books were

"Woah! It'll take you at least a year to read all of those!" Sebastian said. Rune rose an eyebrow at his statement.

"Actually," she said calmly, "I can get them all finished in three weeks." This shocked them even more. Rune set the books aside and thanked her mother, a smile only showing in her eyes. She picked up the next gift and saw that it was from Andrew. After she unwrapped it, she saw that it was an old movie called "Memoirs Of A Geisha", that had come out at least fifteen years ago.

"I remembered you mentioning that you wanted to see this, so I did some research and found it for you..."

"Thank you, Andrew. I _have_ been wanting to see this," Rune replied, making the boy smile. She went for the next present, and the next, and the next, until there were none left. She thanked everyone for their gifts as she gathered them up and took them to her room, while the others cleaned up the party mess.

Once in her room, Rune set all her items down on her bed.

_'Let's see... I got books from my mother, movies from Andrew and Beast Boy, and Cyborg and Nightwing each gave me 100 dollars. I got some CDs from Covyll, a stereo and some CDs from my father, Starfire wants to take me shopping, and-'_

Looking around, Rune noticed that Sebastian never gave her a gift. She really didn't know what to think of it.

_'Does that mean that Smarty _(she had named the voice in her head)_ was wrong, and that Sebastian really doesn't want to be my friend?'_

Hey! I'm never wrong!

_'...Yeah, whatever. Oh well, I guess he just...'_

Not being able to find a fitting reason for his actions, Rune simply ignored the fact and went back out to the main room where everyone was waiting to go.

"So, where are we going?" Rune asked as they all headed out.

"To the mall so Starfire can buy you a gift, and to the movies, and then out to eat," her father answered.

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Like Logan said, they all went out to the mall to celebrate Rune's birthday. Starfire ended up buying her a small, extremely soft black teddy bear with red eyes (she doesn't really like stuffed animals, but Starfire wanted to buy her one, so Rune picked the color). Then they went to the movie theater and saw a movie called "Pretty Fly (for a dead guy)". The movie, which was meant to be an action/horror film, turned out to be so stupid that everyone had tears in their eyes from laughing. Rune was the only one who managed to stifle her laughter before the tears erupted, so her eyes weren't red like everyone else's. After that experience, they all went to a pizza place and each ordered a few slices.

By the time they all got back to the tower, it was nine at night, and everyone was tired. Rune thanked them all for the fun day and the gifts, then went off to her bedroom, while everyone else also went to their respective rooms (Logan and Raven went to Raven's old one to spend the night).

Rune put all of her gifts away in her room and dressed in her pyjamas, which were composed of a loose-fitting, soft red shirt and soft black pants. She had just brushed her hair, and was about to get into her bed, when she heard a light knock at her door. She made her way over and the sliding door opened, revealing Sebastian with his hands behind his back. Red eyes met blue as they stared at each other for a minute, until Sebastian finally spoke.

"Hey, Rune. Can I, er, come in?" he asked. Rune rose an eyebrow, but nodded her head and stepped to the side to allow him entrance. He walked past quickly and watched as she went and sat on her bed. Silence filled the room, but this time Rune broke it.

"...Was there something you needed?" she asked. He nodded, and brought a big box out from behind his back. Rune didn't know how she missed it when he came in...

"I, uh... I wanted to give you your birthday present seperately, so..." he walked over and sat next to her on the bed, the box sitting between them. Rune was suprised at first, but soon recovered and looked at the box. Then, slowly, she opened it and peered inside.

"Meow!" her present said, as it looked up at her with big blue eyes. Rune, now utterly shocked, looked from the young cat to Sebastian, and then back again. She pulled the thing out of the box, and Sebastian took the latter off of her bed. Examining the cat, Rune saw that it had soft, pearly white fur, bright blue eyes (much like her own), and a small pink nose. It was pretty young. Old enough to be separated from it's mom and to eat cat food, but young enough that it was still a little small.

"You...you got me a kitten?" Rune asked incredulously, her eyes wide. Sebastian nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"Y-yeah, I did. I remembered you saying that you were a cat person, and that you would have one as a pet if you ever got the money, so I went out and..." Rune looked at Sebastian now, and he could see that true happiness shone through her sapphire eyes, as a ghost of a smile played about her lips.

"Thank you," she said. Sebastian smiled, relieved that she actually like the gift he got her. She looked down at the little cat, who was currently pawing at her pant leg with interest, then asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy, they said. He doesn't have a name yet, but once you name him, we can go to the pet store and get him a tag." Sebastian reached down into the box and pulled out a few other objects. "I bought him the other things he needs already, so you don't have to worry about that..." He held a small bag of hard cat food, some yarn, a food dish, a water dish, a small litter-box, a bag of cat litter, and a small black cat-bed. He took them to the wall that had her bedroom door on it and arranged them nicely, before walking back to Rune and asking, "So, what are you going to name him?"

Rune thought seriously for a moment, before answering, "Yuho." (A/N Pronounced 'YOU-ho') Sebastian smiled and nodded. Rune looked the little cat straight in the eyes, and said, "Do you like your name, Yuho?"

"Meow!"

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Sebastian had stayed in Rune's room for almost a half an hour talking with her, before he decided that it was time for him to go. He walked to her door and looked back at her.

"Good night, Rune," he said.

"Good night, Sebastian," she responded ashe turned to the door and it opened. He stepped out into the hall, and was about to leave, when Rune said, "Wait." Sebastian spun around to face her and saw that she was in the doorway. He was about to question her, when she wrapped her arms around himin a friendly hug. She was blushing a little at her actions, but not nearly as much as he was. She finally let go after a moment and stepped away. "...Well, thank you, for Yuho, and..." she said akwardly.

"N-no problem."

Finally, Rune returned to her bedroom and closed the door, and Sebastian went off to his room. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers over herself and Yuho, petting the white cat softly as she drifted off to sleep.

**Happiness! Okay, this was the tenth chapter! It was cool, if I do say so myself. So, do you guys like Yuho? I DO! Bet you guys thought Sebastian wasn't going to give her a present, right? (probably not). When Rune hugged Sebastian, think of the hug Raven gave Beast Boy in "Spellbound". Okay, well anyway, thank you for reading, and PLEASE REVIEW! I would greatly appriciate it! **

**---Jaime**


	11. Dead Changelings and Video Games

**Cool! Thank you for the reviews, people! Here's the next chapter...**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this every time? I don't own the Titans or Red X, but their children still belong to me.**

Ch. 11: Dead Changelings and Video Games

Rune woke up the next morning to see Yuho's big blue eyes inches from her own, staring at her intently.

"Um...hi?" she offered, when the cat did not move.

"Meow!" He replied, licking her face.

"...ew."

She lifted the cat up and placed him on the floor as she got out of bed. She looked down at his food dish and saw that it was empty, so she filled it for him. Yuho happily began to eat, his tail swishing from side to side every so often. Rune then locked her door and got dressed in her usual--jeans and a black shirt.

_'Hm...should I bring him with me, or...?' _She thought as she stood by her door, looking down at Yuho. _'No, I'll just leave him here and let him eat,'_ she decided, opening her door and stepping out. But Yuho had other plans. As soon as she left the room, he darted out after her and began walking down the hall like he owned the place. Rune sighed and went over to him, then scooped him up and walked with him to the main room.

"Meow!"

They made it to their destination and looked around. The other three teenagers were on the couch playing video games, Starfire was in the kitchen with Raven and a woman that Rune had never met, Cyborg sat at the counter with Beast Boy, arguing about something, and Nightwing and Logan weren't anywhere to be seen. Rune set Yuho down and he immediately ran over to Beast Boy, so she followed.

"-I should have a cooler name! I'm not a 'Boy' anymore, so I should be called something cooler!" Beast Boy said, just as Yuho jumped into his lap. "Huh? Oh, hey little guy! What's your name?"

"He's Yuho," Rune answered.

"Where'd he come from?" Cyborg asked, petting the young white cat.

"Sebastian gave him to me yesterday." Cyborg and Beast Boy snickered at this.

"Oh, you're Rune, right?" Rune looked up and saw the new woman looking at her.

"Yeah, I am."

"Cool. I'm Bumble Bee, Cyborg's wife," she said, extending her hand, which Rune shook.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"Anyway, BB," Cyborg started, returning to their earlier conversation, "you are 'Beast Boy'. You shouldn't change your name just to sound cooler."

"Robin changed his name to 'Nightwing'," Beast Boy pointed out, rubbing Yuho's belly.

"Yeah, well, that's Rob-_Nightwing_ for you."

"But still! Come on, I'm tired of being called a BOY! I'm a man, damn it, and I deserve to have a cooler name!" he argued, pounding his fist on the table for emphasis. This, in turn, caused a bowl of pizza dough to fall into his lap...and onto Yuho (poor kitty).

"Mrgow!"

"AH! Uh, dude, I'm sorry, Rune! I'll clean him up!" Beast Boy said, grabbing the kitten and racing out of the main room before Rune could even protest.

"Say goodbye to Yuho, Rune," Cyborg said.

"...Why?"

"'Cause knowing Beast Boy, he'll probably try to shave off all of the poor cat's fur."

"WHAT?" she yelled, running after the soon-to-be-dead adult who messed up Yuho's coat.

A moment later, Nightwing walked in looking confused. He went over to the counter where the women were all cooking, and asked Cyborg, "Why did Raven's daughter just run out of here mumbling about dead cat-nappers?"

"Beats me," Cyborg said with a smirk. Shaking his head, Nightwing sat down next to his friend and began questioning the ladies on their cuisine.

After a few minutes of relative silence, a large crash was heard from somewhere in the tower. Everyone stopped talking, and the teenagers on the couch paused their video game, as they all listened.

"-I was only trying to-!"

**SMACK!**

"Meeeeoooooow!"

"-Wait! Can't I at least try the-?"

**BAM!**

**SPLASH!**

"NO!"

"But-!"

**POW!**

**THUMP!**

_"Hiss!"_

Silence.

The eight people in the main room all waited, wondering what had happened. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Rune came into the main room with Yuho, who was wrapped in a fuzzy white towel. She didn't make eye contact as she went and sat on the couch, drying her pet in the process. Three minutes later, Beast Boy entered the main room. He was soaking wet, and his head had two large bumps on it. He was limping a little, and his hair was a mess.

"Don't. Ask," he ordered, walking back to his seat at the counter. Everyone looked from him to Rune and back again, then finally decided that they didn't want to know, and continued doing what they had been before.

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By noon, it was time for Raven and Logan to go back to Raya City, and for Bumble Bee to take Andrew with her to the Steel City tower. They all gathered in the garage to say goodbye.

"Bye, guys," Andrew and Bumble Bee said, as they got into the Titans East's car (think of Cyborg's car, but yellow rather than blue). The two then drove out of the garage and onto the water, eventually reaching the road and disappearing from sight.

"We'll be back to pick you up in three weeks, Rune," Raven said, hugging her daughter.

"Okay," Rune responded. Her mother released her and said goodbye to her friends, while Logan walked over to Rune.

Whispering, he said, "Remember what I told you when you first came here?" She nodded. "Good. Don't let them find out if you can prevent it, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good." He then spoke at a normal tone level. "Well, have fun here." _'With these idiots...'_

It was then that Raven surrounded herself and her husband with black energy and they flew off, the energy taking the form of a giant bird.

"Hey, Rune?" Sebastian asked from beside her. "Do you want to go play video games with Covyll and me?" She rose an eyebrow at the question. Sebastian had never asked her to play a game with him before, so why now?

"I don't know how to-"

"I can teach you! Come on, it will be fun!"

"Well..."

"Please?"

"...I..._suppose_ that I could..."

"Cool! Let's go!" he said. The three remaining teenagers (and Yuho) all went upstairs and back to the main room, while the four remaining adults went to have a meeting in a separate part of the tower. Rune sat in between the two boys, with Sebastian on her left, and Yuho on Covyll's lap on her right.

Sebastian handed Rune and Covyll each a controller, then turned the game _Maniac Fury XVI _on. The screen lit up and showed that the game was loading. When it was done with that, the game title came on, as well as game options. They chose two player, and then they picked their characters.

"Okay, so you want to pick someone cool," Sebastian explained to Rune, as he pointed out various characters (all of which were dressed in street clothes). "Why don't you try Psichs? He's cool."

"Who?"

"Him," Sebastian pointed.

"The one with the mowhawk?"

"No, the one with the skirt."

"I thought you said it was a guy?"

"He is."

"Then why-?"

"Okay, now pick your weapons from the store."

"I highly recommend the crow bar to start with," Covyll started. "It helps you out when you want to steal a getaway car."

Sebastian nodded. "Yeah, get one of those, and...oh! Get that gun!"

"Which one?"

"The sniper, those are so cool," Covyll answered.

"Just what kind of game is this?"

"Oh yeah, and you'll need a few explosives, and binoculars-" Sebastian was cut off by Covyll.

"And it wouldn't hurt to beat up some random people and make them help you out."

"-and them maybe some acid to top it all off."

Rune sighed. This was going to be a long day.

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**Alrighty, there you go! In the next chapter, you'll get to hear what the meeting the adults were having is about. ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT! In the review you ARE going to send me (I really hope), I need you to give me an answer to this question:**

**If Beast Boy were to change his hero name into a more grown-up name, what do you think it should be?**

**I need your suggestions on that one, people (I only have 1 so far), so PLEASE REVIEW AND ANSWER THE QUESTION!**

**Thank you very much, your reviews mean a lot to me!**

**Peace out!**

**---Jaime**


	12. The Mission

**Hey! Thanks for the (few) reviews! Alright, so here's the next chapter. I'm not sure if I might need to change the rating on this soon, but if anyone thinks so, please tell me.**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Titans. I'm just doing this for fun. But the actuall _teens_ in this story are mine.**

Ch. 12: the Mission

Bumble Bee, Andrew, Raven, and Logan had all left for their homes. Now, the remaining adults were making their way towards the conference room to discuss a few things. Once there, the four of them settled into seats around the circular table emblazoned with a capital 'T'. It was then that Nightwing began their meeting.

"We have a few things that we need to discuss. First off, I think we should consider looking for new recruits to join the Teen Titans. Considering we only have three actual _teens_ on the team-"

"What about Rune? Is she not also a Titan?" Starfire interrupted.

"Well," Cyborg started, "the girl's a good fighter, but does she have any powers?"

"No one knows," Nightwing said.

"Shouldn't _she_ know?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not necessarily. She most likely has not discovered her powers yet. But still, we should not exclude her from being a Titan just because we do not know if she has powers yet," Starfire answered.

"But she hasn't accepted to being a Titan. And we all know that Raven won't allow it -not yet, anyway," Nightwing argued.

"Whatever, we'll talk about Rune later. Now, you were saying?" Cyborg said.

"Yes. We need to look for new recruits. We're only mortal, after all; we won't be able to protect the city forever," Nightwing said, resuming his initial speech.

"Okay, so how do we do it?" Beast Boy asked. "Post flyers? Phone book ads? Commercials?"

"...That's actually not a bad idea. Beast Boy, I'm putting you in charge of making flyers and a commercial. A phone book ad won't be necessary. When you have a few ideas, Cyborg will help you make them a reality.

"Now, our next topic-" Nightwing was interrupted by Beast Boy, who was waving his hand frantically, waiting to be acknowledged. Nightwing sighed. "Yes, Beast Boy?"

"I have a topic that I want to open for discussion."

"What is it?"

"I need a cooler name!" No one made a move to hide their annoyance. "Come on, guys! I'm in my late twenties! I'm not a boy anymore! I'm a man, and I demand to be treated as such!"

Figuring that they wouldn't hear the end of Beast Boy's mid-life crisis until he had a satisfactory name change, Starfire asked, "Do you have any new names in mind?"

"Loads!" he replied, smiling at the alien. "What about 'The Beastinator'?"

"...How about something less lame?" Cyborg suggested. Beast Boy glared in response.

"Hm...what about 'Switcharoo'?"

"No."

"Beast Machine?"

"Ick."

"The Beast?"

"Try again."

"Beast...Dude?"

"Not."

"Beast Man? Come on, this one is so cool!"

"Well, kind of," Cyborg said, "but then I'd go around calling you 'BM' all the time."

"Oh...maybe...'Impressioner'?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Nightwing said. "You're not an impressioner, you're a changeling."

A moment's silence, and then Beast Boy broke out into a huge grin. "Okay, what about 'the Changeling' then? That's cool, right?"

They all thought about it for a moment, debating silently over whether or not they'd like to call their friend 'the Changeling'. Once they reached a decision, it was unanimous.

"Okay," Starfire said. "We shall rename you 'Changeling'."

"Yeah, but just that. Nothing more. Deal?" Cyborg asked, extending his hand for his green pal to shake.

"It is SO a deal!" he replied, shaking hands.

"Okay," Nightwing started. "Now on to more important matters. A local gang has been attacking young adults in the city. There's no description for them, since anyone who's ever seen them is now dead. But from the lab reports, all of them were beaten into subjugation and then raped."

"Some reports about missing girls have also come up," Cyborg said. "They're in the age range of the victims, so maybe some of the girls were too good to kill-"

"And they were kidnapped," Starfire agreed.

Changeling (formerly known as Beast Boy) shuddered at the thought. "Dude, I still can't believe that people would actually _do_ things like this." Everyone silently agreed.

"So," Nightwing continued, "our mission is to capture this gang. If we can get to their hide-out, then we can find the missing people. Or, we can take them off the streets and force the information out of them. Either way, they're going down."

"But how are we going to find them?" Starfire asked. "According to the reports, they only attack these guys in the city at night."

"We could use bait," Changeling suggested. "You know, get some girl to attract them. And if they try to rape her, we bust 'em and make 'em tell us where the hide out is. But if they kidnap her, then we follow and take them all down."

"BB, that's a seriously risky plan. Something could go wrong," Cyborg said.

"But it is worth a shot," Starfire said.

"Who do you suggest we use as bait?" Cyborg asked. "No girl would be crazy enough to-"

"Rune," Nightwing said. Everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean? Surely you're not thinking about using _Raven's daughter_ as _bait? _Raven would kill us!" Changeling argued.

"Rune is a pretty girl," Starfire said. "And I believe she would also be a good actress. We could have her pretend to be a helpless, naive young woman-"

"And dress her up to look attractive," Cyborg said. (A/N. He's _not_ insulting Rune's looks.)

"-then we can watch her and catch the criminals. They may even deem her worthy of kidnapping, and take her to their hide out." she finished.

"Sounds like a good plan. Starfire, you take Rune to the mall later and tell her about the mission. If she's willing, then buy her a nice outfit. We can get this taken care of tonight," Nightwing said.

"Wait! What about Raven? She's going to murder us for even _considering_ using her daughter to catch bad guys!" Changeling said.

"Yeah. So when she askes who's idea it was to use Rune as bait, we can blame Nightwing," Cyborg said. This seemed to calm down the green adult.

"Alright, meeting adjourned," Nightwing said.

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In the main room, Rune sat to the side with Yuho, watching with mild interest as the other two teenagers played _Maniac Fury XVI._ Rune herself had given up trying to understand the purpose of the game, and had handed her controller over to Sebastian, who was more than willing to take her place.

The two boys were getting really into the game, when suddenly, the TV screen turned off.

"AHH!" Both boys cried in unison.

"Guys, were going on a mission," Nightwing said from the main entrance, putting the remote back down on the table. Reluctantly, Sebastian and Covyll got up and headed out. "Rune, you're needed too."

Though she was genuinely suprised, Rune stood and followed the others, as well.

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"So, you need me to dress up as a girly girl and get these guys to attack me?" Rune questioned Starfire as the two girls walked through the mall. The older woman nodded.

"We need to use you as bait. Are you a good actress?"

"...I would like to think."

"Glorious! Now, let us head into a store. Oh! I know! Let us try that one!" That being said, Starfire dragged Rune to one of the clothes stores.

By the time they found all that they needed, it was six o'clock at night. Rune now owned a flowing, white knee-length skirt (Starfire insisted on a mini-skirt, but Rune flat-out _refused_). She also owned a pale blue tank-top, a pair of black heels (they slipped on and off, just incase she needed to run), and a silver butterfly hairclip.

"When we get home, I can put some make up on you." After a moment, Starfire rethought this. "Actually, you are very pretty. I think just some lip gloss should do." Rune blushed, but she did not acknowledge Starfire's statement.

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An hour later, all the males were gathered by the Tower's entrance. Nightwing was making sure everyone knew the plan, when Starfire flew up.

"We are ready!"

"Okay, good. Uh...where's Rune?" Nightwing asked. Starfire giggled and flew out of the room. When she walked back in, she was dragging said seventeen-year-old by the arm to the group of heroes. Rune was wearing the outfit that Starfire bought for her earlier, revealing many of her curves in the process, the butterfly hairclip, and a little lip gloss which gave her lips a cold, frosty look. The others were suprised.

"Heh, look out, Sebastian. You're drooling," Cyborg teased. Sebastian promptly blushed and denied it.

"Well, the wench certainly looks more presentable," Covyll stated boredly. Rune glared at him, but before she could go hit him for calling her a wench, Starfire threw a starbolt at him. "Ah! Hot! Hot!"

"Everyone ready?" Nightwing asked. They all were. "Alright, let's go."

**Cool, huh? Thank you for reading, and please review! Thank you, bmwrider , for the idea of changing Beast Boy's name. Are you satisfied now? (I hope so!)**

**---Later!**


	13. Taken

**'Ello, people! Thanks for the reviews. They make me happy! So please, read and review!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own the Titans. But the characters I created are (quite obviously) mine.**

Ch. 13: Taken

It was around nine P.M.. Rune was walking down random streets and through dark alleys fearlessly, persued by the Titans (including Covyll and Sebastian). Her slip-on heels barely made any noise on the cracked pavement below, and her white skirt was gently flowing around her knees in the summer breeze. With the moon as her only source of light, she really looked angelic.

As she walked past another dark alley, she heard hushed voices. Putting a look of innocent curiosity on her face, she turned back and walked into the alley.

"Hello?" She called out. Her voice sounded fearful and curious, when in reality she was rather bored. More hushed whispering came, and then a flashlight shone on her face.

As she closed her eyes at the sudden light, a man's voice said, "Well well well. Is it just me, or did a sweet little girl just traipse into our midst?"

Another man answered him. "Yes, I would say so. What brings you here, missy?"

"I'm sorry," Rune replied, sounding innocent and apologetic. She really was a good actress. "I was just curious. Would you please lower the light? I can't see..." They did as she requested, and she had to blink a few times before she could see clearly. In front of her were two men she could barely see, both about the same height and wearing long black trenchcoats. She smiled at them. "Thank you."

"No problem. What's your name, little girl?" the one on the right, with the flashlight, asked.

_'Okay. Nightwing and the others said I was to use a fake name. Hm...'_

"My name is Lilly, Lilly Truesdale. Who are you?"

"I'm Scott," the one on the left said, "And he's Eric. How old are you, Miss Truesdale?"

"Oh, you can just call me Lilly. I'm seventeen." The two of them smirked, unbeknownst to Rune, alias Lilly.

"And what are you doing out so late at night, Lilly? And all alone, too..." Eric asked, as he walked forward and began circling Rune, shining the flashlight on her to get a better look.

"I was just walking around. And yourselves?"

"We were also just walking. Would you like to join us?" Rune pretended to think about it for a moment, then smiled.

"I'm sorry, I have to be going. My family wanted me back by ten." Scott came closer to her, so that she had to look upwards a little to see his face.

"Who's expecting you?" he asked.

"Why do you need to know?" she countered, clasping her hands together behind her back.

"We're just...curious," Eric said mischievously, placing his hands lightly on her shoulders from behind. It was almost impossible for Rune to hide her discomfort now.

"...My mother. She's the only family that I have," she replied, her heart beating a little bit faster.

_'The others damn well better not let anything happen to me, or I swear I'll-!'_

"Perfect," Scott said, smirking at her. "Lilly, are you a virgin?" he asked, as Eric removed his hands from her shoulders. Rune was genuinely shocked.

"I have to go," she said, turning and walking past Eric. But the two men weren't finished with her yet...

Eric grabbed her arms from behind and jerked her backwards, making her fall flat on her butt. Scott walked and stood in front of her, kneeling down to her level.

"That's okay," he said, placing his hands on her legs. "You don't have to tell us. It's more fun this way." He let his hands travel upwards, towards the hem of her skirt.

Realizing what they were doing, Rune lashed out, kicking Scott square in the jaw. He yelped and fell backwards from the impact.

"You've been a bad girl, Miss Truesdale," Eric said, tightening his grip on her upper arms tightening. No doubt that bruises would form later. He lifted her up, forcing her to stand, and then slammed the front of her body into the wall. Then, he kneed her in the back. And after that, he turned her to face him and backhanded her.

"Ah! Please, I- I'm sorry," she whimpered, tears falling from her eyes. "P-please, please let me go," she said. Eric smirked, but did not comply.

"We can't do that, Miss Truesdale. You see, we came out here tonight with every intention of bringing our boss a little maiden like you. And trust me, what our boss wants, our boss gets." Rune whimpered a little bit more, letting more fake tears fall from her eyes.

"But, I'm- I'm afraid."

"You should be," Scott said darkly, walking back over to them with a bruise on his face. Rune supressed the urge to smirk.

Damn, you're a good actress. The voice in her head, Smarty, complimented.

_'I do what I can. Man, the Titans damn well better be watching me right now...'_

Eric scooped her up in his arms and felt her body tense. Oh yes, she was most definately a virgin. He held her legs together with his right hand, and held her wrists with his left. As she was struggling to get out of his grip, Scott went deeper into the alley, and came back a few minutes later with some rope. Eric held her down while his buddy tied her wrists together. Scott then pulled a leather collar and a leash out from one of his pockets, and he fastened those on her neck.

"There, were all ready to go," Eric said, placing her down and taking the leash from Scott. They began walking further into the alley, Eric pulling hard on Rune's leash to get her to follow.

_'Please. These guys are idiots. They can't even tie a knot right! If I wasn't on a mission right now, I could break out of this in an instant!'_

Actually, if you weren't on a mission right now, I don't think you would've even acted like such a naive twit.

_'...That too.'_

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After nearly a half an hour of walking, going through many differnt allies, they arrived at a metal door. There was a dim light above it, no door handle, and a small reactangular sliding door that was about eye level. (A/N Sorry, I don't know the name for those things...)

Scott walked to the door and knocked rapidly on it. After a few minutes, the rectangular sliding door opened to reveal a pair of shadowed eyes.

"Hey, Dale. We've got another girl for the boss," Scott said, guesturing to the trembling and tearful Rune behind them. The man dubbed Dale nodded, then closed the small door. A few clicks were heards, and then the large metal door opened. The three newcomers went inside and the door was closed behind them.

Rune looked around and saw that they were in a large, rather clean room. There were several hallways, all leading to closed doors. There were also mirrors placed sporadically on the walls. As Rune listened, she could hear several cries and moans coming from the hallways.

Eyes wide and fearful, Eric led her down one of the hallways, while Scott went somewhere else. As they walked, one of the doors opened, and a man stepped out, pulling his shirt on. Rune looked into the room behind him and saw a bed, with the bloody, naked, dead body of a girl sprawled out on it. Noticing the look of genuine horror on her face, the nameless man smirked.

"Would you like to go meet her?" he asked, eyeing Rune up and down.

"Sorry, man. Miss Truesdale here is headed straight for the boss," Eric said, pulling her along.

They kept walking, and eventually came to the end, where a large wooden door stood waiting for them. Eric knocked three times on the door, then waited.

"Enter," a masculine voice called out. And so they did. Eric led her inside, then closed the door behind them. Looking around, Rune saw that this room contained a king sized bed with silk sheets on the right, a large hot tub on the left, and various cloths and chains on the far wall. Rune gulped.

"Ah, and who is this lovely young lady?" that same masculine voice asked, walking into view. He was a man in his mid twenties, with short, firey red hair and bright green eyes, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

"This is Lilly Truesdale. She's fit, she's pretty much subjugated from what I've seen, and she's seventeen years old," Eric responded, pulling her in front of him to face the 'boss'. He then kicked her back, making her bow to the new guy. She lifted her head and stared up at the boss, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Perfect. You may go, Eric," the man said, taking Rune's leash into his hands. Eric nodded his head and left, locking the door behind him. Rune was shaking.

"Who- who are you?" she asked, letting a tear fall down her face. The man knelt down and licked it away, then whispered in her ear.

"I am Zane," he said, pulling her body closer to his. "But from now on, you shall call me 'Master'."

_'They damn well better get here soon...'_

**Will Rune be hurt? Will she drop the act and fight back? And will the Titans get there in time to save her? Find out next time! **

**Please review! I really want to know**

**1) What you guys think of this, and**

**2) If anyone thinks I should change the rating.**

**Thank you!**

**---Peace!**


	14. Drop the Act

**Thank you for the nice reviews! I would have had it out yesterday, but it wouldn't upload for some strange reason... Anyway, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my original characters. The rest belong to...someone else...**

**WARNING! This chapter contains some cursing in it. Nothing too big though, I don't think...But anyway, yeah.**

Ch. 14: Drop the Act

Rune, alias Lilly, stared up at Zane with pretend fear in her eyes. He stood up and pulled her collar, to get her to follow him towards the hot tub. She didn't comply.

"What's wrong, my pet?" Zane asked, amusement shining through his eyes.

"What are you going to do?" she asked in return, standing up. Zane back handed her, then roughly pushed her to the ground.

"You do not question your master, pet. You will do as I command."

"And when I don't?" Rune asked, glaring up at the man as she stood once more. Her voice went back to normal, making her sound like herself rather than a mindless Barbie doll. Zane glared back at her.

"I thought Eric said you were subjugated."

"The truth and what Eric says are two totally different things. I am no where _near_ subjugated."

"Really?" He was circling her now, making her grit her teeth in anger at the way he was looking at her. "Then why did you let them bring you here, instead of fight back?"

Rune shrugged. "No reason." Zane slapped her again, then kicked her in the gut, making her fall to her knees in pain.

"I don't appreciate liars, Lilly. You had a reason for coming here tonight. What was it?"

"Like I'd tell you, a sex-crazed psycho, what my intentions were." Zane smirked.

He walked over to the wall of binding materials and said, "That may be true." He grabbed some chains and a whip, then walked back to her. "Now, I will give you one last chance. Tell me why you came here tonight, or you will be in a lot of pain. And after I beat you, I'm going to rape you. And after that? I'm going to decorate your skin with many pretty cuts. You'll be begging for death by the time I'm done with you." His voice was sinister and sadistic. "But no, I won't give you death. Instead, I'll rape you again, and then I'll let my little friends have their way with you. I will break your soul into a thousand tiny peices, and I'll make you love it." She knew Zane meant every word of what he said.

She also knew, however, that the Titans hadn't gotten into the building yet. And if she were to tell Zane the real reason why she went there that night, he would be ready for them. She didn't want to wreck the mission, and so she kept her mouth clamped shut.

Zane sighed. "Okay then, if you insist..." he stood in front of her and kneeled down to her level. Before he even had a chance to react, Rune had shifted her weight onto her arms and kicked him in the face with both her feet, her heels marking his skin.

While he was on the ground, Rune stood and quickly made her way to the door, untying the ropes on her wrists as she went. Before she made it halfway, however, Zane tackled her from behind, causing them both to fall to the ground with Zane on top of Rune's back. "Bitch!" He said, as he pulled her blue hair upward to lift her head. He rolled her over onto her back, him on her pelvis, and slapped her in the face.

"Get off me, you mother fuc-ah!"

"Silence!" Rune looked up at him and noted with satisfaction that she had broken his nose, as it was now twisted at an odd angle. "I'll make you pay for all of this, wretch!" She spat in his face.

"Go fuck yourself!" She yelled at him. He punched her in the chest, then back handed her again.

"That's not very nice," a familiar voice said from the doorway. Rune and Zane both looked up and saw Covyll standing next to Starfire in the room. "Hey, Rune. What's up?"

"Oh, not much. How about you?" Rune responded, playing along with Covyll's game.

"Pretty much the same. But it looks like you're having a good time here. Should we come back? Ah!" Starfire smacked him for even suggesting it.

"What the hell is going on? Who are you two, and how did you get in?" Zane demanded, still on top of Rune.

"We are members of the Teen Titans, and you are under arrest for murder, rape, kidnapping, attempted rape, child abuse, and theivory," Starfire said, walking over to him.

"And we came in through the door, idiot."

"It was locked!"

"...I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Covyll said, also walking over to help Rune. But Zane was ready for them.

"Back off!" He yelled, as he quickly stood with his right arm around Rune, holding her throat tightly in his left hand. Starfire and Covyll remained still. Zane backed away from them a little, dragging Rune with him, and said, "If you come any closer I swear I will kill her! I was planning on making it more fun, but this works too." He licked her face, making Rune wince in disgust.

"Ew!" She cried out. "What the hell was that for, you psycho?" His hand squeezed her throat harder.

"Don't fuck with me, missy!"

"...Isn't that why your minions kidnapped me in the first place?"

"Shut up!"

"Let her go," Starfire said dangerously, holding her hands up defensively infront of her. "I do not want to have to hurt you." He laughed.

"_You,_ hurt _me?_ Ha! Why, I bet you'd be a better whore than Lilly here. What do you say?" Starfire glared at him, then without warning, threw a glowing green starbolt at his hand, knocking the knife away. This gave Rune the chance she needed to kick him hard in the shin and break away from him.

"What the-? Ah! What- what the hell are you?" He yelled at Starfire, as Rune stood next to Covyll.

"I am Starfire, princess of Tameran. Now, Covyll, it is your turn." Covyll smirked and held his hand out in front of him. A split second later, all the water from the hot tub began swirling around Zane, soaking him and trapping him.

"What the-?" Next, Covyll made the water freeze, Zane's head being the only thing able to move. "Holy crap, this is cold!"

"Like my work?" Covyll asked arrogantly. Rune rolled her eyes, and the three heroes walked out of the room, leaving Zane for the police.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The three of them met up with the others and they all went back to the tower. By the time they arrived, it was almost midnight. Rune showered, and changed out of her now stained clothes and came back wearing her usual jeans and a T-shirt. Everyone was now sitting in the main room, either on the couch or the floor.

"The police took the criminals away. There were about twenty of them. They also found all the kidnapped teens. There were three dead girls and one dead guy, seven girls and four guys were held captive in a cage together, and two girls and four guys were in the process of either being raped or being beaten when the cops found them," Nightwing explained.

"So, all in all, there were twelve girls and nine guys," Changeling said out loud.

"You did well on your first mission, Rune," Cyborg complimented. "You've got great acting skills. Have you ever been in any plays?"

"Um, thank you," Rune said unsurely. "And no, I haven't."

"Where did you learn how to act so well then? I mean, you were shaking and crying in the alley, but in the building you were just fine."

_'It's easy to pretend, for someone like me...' _Rune thought.

"I don't know. I just...do it."

"Cool," Sebastian said.

"Well, we appreciate your help on this mission, Rune, and we'd like to give you this," Nightwing handed a Titan's communicator from his place on the couch, to Rune at her place on the floor. She took it in her hand and looked at it, then loked back up at him. "We'd like to make you an honorary Titan. If there's ever a mission you can help us with, we'll call you."

"And if _you_ ever need help, we'll be there," Cyborg finished for him. Rune nodded and thanked them.

"So! It's midnight and we've already kicked bad guy butt. Who's up for a movie?" Changeling asked, holding up three different movies and a bunch of junk food.

In the end, everyone agreed, and they settled on watching a horror movie.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Two and a half hours later, the movie ended and everyone went to sleep. Well, almost everyone...

Rune lie awake, staring at the ceiling. She hadn't been able to sleep, so she just gave up on it; Yuho was asleep in his cat-bed on the floor. Now, as she watched the shadows randomly pass by, Smarty came for a chat.

You should be asleep.

_'You're one to talk.'_

I don't sleep. I'm- well, you'll find out later.

_'Whatever.'_

So, why are you up still?

_'...I can't sleep. I have too much on my mind.'_

I can tell. What's the matter?

Silence.

Come on, you can tell me! I can't talk to anyone outside of your mind, so I can keep your secrets. I would already know them, but I've only been with you since you came to the Tower.

_'...It's just...'_

**Okay, there's the end! You'll find out the rest of their conversation in the next chapter. Otherwise, this one would be way too long!**

**---Later!**

**And please leave a review!**


	15. Fear

**Hello! Thank you for the reviews. They made me happy. I would have had this chapter out earlier today, but I slept in, so...yeah, sorry.**

**---Jaime**

Ch. 15: Fear

**RECAP:**

So, why are you up still?

_'...I can't sleep. I have too much on my mind.'_

I can tell. What's the matter?

Silence.

Come on, you can tell me! I can't talk to anyone outside of your mind, so I can keep your secrets. I would already know them, but I've only been with you since you came to the Tower.

_'...It's just...When I was in school, everyone hated me. They really had no reason to, but they did. I had friends in elementary school, up until third grade. That's when one of my friends, Tiffany Ltaif, started spreading a bunch of rumors about me. Even if we were only eight years old, she was smart. I never found out what she said about me, all I know is that it scared every student there._

_'Of course, they all believed her. No one went near me for five years after that. But, in the middle of my eighth grade year, they started to make fun of me._ "Ha ha, it's the girl with no friends!" _they'd say. It was lame and immature, so I paid them no mind. But they kept going._ "Gothic Bitch", Satan's Spawn", "Witch", "Whore",_ the insults kept coming. I think I even heard a rumor once that I had been impregnated by the principal, and to make up for it, he made sure that I always got straight-A's. But still, I ignored them._

_'Then, in highschool, the insults became my name, and people got physical. They'd try to trip me, they'd hit me, they'd steal my binders or my books, they'd wreck my lunch--when they started doing that, I basically stopped eating--'_

I though it was strange that you barely eat anything. Oh, I'm sorry, continue.

_'That's okay. So, they'd spread more rumors, they'd push me down stairs, they'd stuff crap in my locker. And one time, some football players were paid by my main enemies-- Cassidy Moth, Synthia Gurliaccio, Tiffany Ltaif, and Janet Stephens-- to follow me on my way home and beat me up. They did, actually. They were faster than I was, so they caught me. I had bruises, cuts, scrapes, and a sprained wrist. I went to a walk-in clinic and they helped me out. I'm suprised they agreed to not tell my family...'_

What did your parents do when you got home?

_'My mom was working on a case in Florida at the time, so she didn't come back until I had healed. And my dad wasn't around then--I didn't know where he'd gone, I just knew he was working. I know now that he was probably on a job, stealing for some rich person as Red X.'_

Why didn't you tell her, though? Tell your mom, or your dad, or a counselor, or-!

_'I tried.'_

...What happened?

_'I- I didn't want to tell my parents, because they had enough to worry about with their jobs and everything, so I went to the school counselor in ninth grade. I told her what was going on and how long it'd been going on, and she _said _she would handle it.'_

But she didn't? Rune sighed.

_'No. She didn't tell my parents, she didn't tell the principal, she didn't tell the police. She told her daughter. And her daughter told the school that I had ratted them out. I went to the hospital with a broken nose and a fractured leg after that.'_

WHAT! Who was her daughter?

_'The counselor's name was Kitten Moth. She seemed like a nice person, but she turned out to be Cassidy Moth's mom. At the time, I had only known her first name, "Kitten".'_

What did your parents do about it when you were in the hospital? What did you say to them?

_'I told them that I had tried out for the girl's soccer team at school. I don't think they believed me, but they didn't question me any further about it.'_

Idiots! I don't believe them! Oh if I could contact Intelligence yet, I'd give her a-!

_'Who's Intelligence?'_

Oh! She's your mother's...she's your mother's "Smarty".

Rune sat up in her bed, looking confused.

"My mother is crazy, too?" She asked out loud.

You're not crazy! And neither is she! She actually has eight "voices" in her head.

"Do they all have names?"

Yep! There's Intelligence, Bravery, Timid, Happy, Rude, Love, Wisdom, and Rage.

"Uh huh. They sound like emotions to me. Emotions and personalities."

Well, that's because...they are! See...okay, I guess I can explain it now...

"Explain what?"

Alright. I am your intelligence. Anything that you have learned, I have learned, and I never forget it. At some point in your life- I don't know when, so don't ask -you will gain another "voice", and another, and another, until eventually you have them all. I don't know how many you'll have, or what they will be, because that all depends on you.

"So, if I wasn't very smart, I wouldn't have you?"

Yep!

"Hm. Interesting... Wait, do you know if I'll have powers?"

Nope. If you do, though, you'll discover them once you have all of your emotions and personality sides.

_'That sucks.'_

Yeah, I know. Oh, so you never finished your story of why you can't sleep.

"Right..."

_'Well, when I got out of the hospital, everyone hated me even more. I don't see why--none of them even got in trouble. In any case, I stayed away from everyone. I kept quiet. So they kept getting meaner by the year, and I kept growing colder and more distant. So when my mom told me about her friends the Titans, I was...jealous.'_

Say what?

Rune sighed, and continued explaining as best she could. _'I was jealous that my mother had friends and I didn't. She was loved by many, I was loved by two. I've always loved my parents, even if they are a bit clueless when it comes to my school life, but even so, I have wanted...a friend. But I still never expect to actually _get_ one._

_'So I came to the Tower and I met all these people, and I saw Sebastian. He suprised me. When I was in school, and I met him by the stairs, I was shocked. He was the first person in almost eight years to be so kind to me. Well, minus my parents. But anyway, I expected that once I lived here for a while, these people too would all be cruel to me. They would treat me unfairly, or ridicule me for, well, being _me_. But they haven't. Even Covyll has been a bit nicer. And it...it all confuses me so much.'_

How does it confuse you?

_'Well, I sometimes think, _"Do I trust them? Are they really this kind? Do they really like me, and accept me? Will they turn on me?" _but I can never find the answer. I want to trust them, they haven't given me any reasons not to, but I just...don't. I don't trust anyone aside from you and my parents. I just can't._

Why can't you? You said it yourself, they've never given you a reason to not trust them, so why don't you?

_'I don't want to trust them, and then end up being stabbed in the back again. I don't want it to happen.'_

**Unknown:** Neither do I. That would be very bad.

Hey, hold on a second.Who are you?

**Unknown:** I am...Rune's fear.

_'Fear? I get another voice already?'_

**Fear:** Yes.

Oh, okay! Rune, it looks like you've gotten another emotion!

_'But why Fear? And why now?'_

**Fear:** Because, you are afraid.

_'Of...?'_

**Fear:** Of the others betraying you, and abandoning you. That would be horrible...

_'Oh. Well, okay then.'_

I think it's time you get to sleep, Rune. It's late.

_'Okay. Goodnight Smarty, Fear.'_

Goodnight!

**Fear: **Wait! It's dark! Things could be lurking in the shadows, just waiting for you to sleep so they can attack!

Don't be ridiculous! Cyborg has a great security system installed in this tower. No one's getting into the tower, let alone Rune's bedroom.

**Fear: **But you never know!

Rune closed her eyes and let sleep claim her, as the two voices in her head continued arguing about monsters and villains breaking into her room.

**Okay, so now you know what Rune's life was like. And it's all because of Tiffany Ltaif (the bitch). Maybe in a later chapter you'll find out why Tiffany started rumors about Rune, and turned the school against her. Maybe. And hey, Rune's got a new emotion/voice! If you were paying attention to the story, then you'll know that THAT menas she's one voice closer to getting her powers. Yay Rune!**

**Please review!**

**---Later!**


	16. Truth or Dare?

**Thank you for the reviews! I am very happy now. Here's the next chapter! This one might be a bit confusing, because people will be speaking in a lot of Tamaranian, but don't worry-- Cyborg, Starfire, and Nightwing will be translating it all! **

**OH YES! rockchick3000 asked me how you pronounce 'Covyll', so I'll tell all of you.**

**It's pronounced "cuh-VILL". I hope that makes it easy to understand (oh, and the uppercase letters signal more emphasis is being used).**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: The Titans are still not mine. Never have been, and I doubt they ever will be. **

Ch. 16: Truth or Dare?

After the movie was over and everyone went to bed, Covyll snuck into Sebastian's room and closed the door. He used his powers to bring a large water ball with him, and stood by the door as the ball floated above Sebastian, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Three," Covyll whispered, "two, one."

**SPLASH!**

"AAH! WHAT the HELL?" Sebasian yelled as he was rudely awakened. Covyll turned on the light and started laughing hysterically at his unfortunate friend. "What the _hell_ are you doing in my room? And _why_ did you wake me up like this? I demand to know what's going on!"

"Ha ha ha, s-sorry man. I just c-couldn't resist! Ha ha ha!" After wiping the tears from his eyes and putting out the fire on his shirt from Sebastian's glowing starbolt of revenge, Covyll walked over to Sebastian and sat on his floor.

"So why'd you wake me up so late?" Sebastian asked, going to his closet to look for dry clothes and blankets.

Covyll shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Don't tell me you were afraid of that horror movie?"

"Me? Afraid? You're joking, right?"

"Well, why the hell else would you wake me up so late?" Sebastian asked, hiding a yawn behind his hand.

"It's just like I said. I couldn't sleep. I'm bored."

"What do you expect _me_ to do about it?"

"Entertain me, slave!" Covyll demanded, sitting up straighter and crossing his legs for dramatic effect.

"Oh, yes, master," Sebastian responded sarcastically. "How may I serve you, Lord Waterboy?"

"Play a game with me."

"What are you, _five_?"

"No, I'm bored. Strange things happen when you're bored."

"Whatever. I don't think I'd be able to go back to sleep anyway, knowing that _you're_ lurking around in the shadows, just waiting for the opportune moment to attack.

"Exactly!"

"So, what game?"

"Hm...Truth or Dare."

Sebastian sighed. "Why do you love that game so much?"

"Because it's an easy way to get some dirt on people. You never know when blackmail might come in handy," Covyll responded, an evil little smirk making its way to his face.

"...Remind me never to get on your bad side." Sebastian said, sitting down next to his friend.

"He he he."

"Okay, so truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Is there_ anything_ that you're afraid of?"

"Yeah, your mom's home made Glorg." Covyll earned a smack after that. "Ow. Okay, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

He thought for a minute about his question, then asked, "How much do you like Rune?"

"Like? She's my friend, and I like her as such."

"Liar."

"What are you talking about? I'm not lying!"

"Suuuure you're not," Covyll said. "That's exactly why you always hang out around her, and offer to help her with training, and-"

"So I'm being nice, what's the big deal in that?"

"You were never that nice to me." Covyll smirked. "Actually, the first time we met, we had a fist fight."

"Yeah, because you called my mom a slut!"

"Well how many thirty-something-year-old women walk around wearing thigh-high boots and purple mini-skirts? Honestly, it was so..._wrong_!"

"Yeah, and she changed her outfit after that. Now she wears jeans and mid-calf high boots instead. Oh, wait, we're off-topic here. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Okay, next time my mom makes Glorg, you have to take seconds."

Covyll glared at Sebastian. "Bastard. Evil, horrible, wicked little bastard. Fine then. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to speak in only Tameranian tomorrow, even to people who don't understand the language."

"Eh, no problem. Okay, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"With all your arrogance, have you ever even _kissed_ a girl?"

"What do you mean, 'with all my arrogance'?"

"You always walk around saying crap like, 'She'd be too easy to get into bet', and 'Ah! It's her! Quick, hide me!'."

"Hey, that last one only happened once, okay. And I'll have you know, I've kissed tons of girls."

"Yeah, in your dreams..."

"Alright then, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to tell me the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you."

"Okay. Truth or d-"

"Hey, you didn't do the dare."

"No, you said I had to tell you the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me, but you failed to specify when or where. Now, as I was saying. Truth or dare?"

"Damn. When are you going to tell me then? Dare."

"I'll tell you whenever something embarrassing happens to me. Let's see...I dare you to kiss Rune's cat in the main room the next time he comes out."

"Man, I hate cats."

Their game lasted for another two hours, before finally both boys were too tired to continue. Covyll went off to bed, and Sebastian turned out his light.

"Heh," he said to himself, "tomorrow promises to be a very interesting day." He jumped into bed, and a loud **SPLISH **was heard. "Awe, crap. I forgot to change my sheets... Damn you, Covyll!"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The next day, everyone was out in the main room. Covyll and Sebastian stood next to each other by the table, Sebastian writing on a notepad and showing his friend every once in a while, Cyborg and Nightwing were locked in a game of Mega Monkeys 7, Rune and Yuho were sitting on the floor behind the couch, the former reading one of her new books, and Starfire was teaching Changeling how to make Glorg.

After a few minutes of everyone doing whatever they could to pass the time, Covyll walked over to Rune and Yuho (who was curled up next to his master). He bent down and picked up the cat, gaining Rune's attention.

"...'Ello, Mr. Kitty Cat. Sebastian is a bloody bastard, so please forgive me." He then gave the cat a quick kiss on the forehead, then dropped him (quite literally). Covyll then went back to Sebastian, leaving a confused Rune and an annoyed Yuho behind.

"Wait, you put _that_ in Glorg? EEEW!"

"Well, Changeling, these cow intestines and Frisbarq juices help to give Glorg its delightfully bitter taste."

"Wait, what's a Frisbarq?"

"It is an alien on my planet. It is kind of like an Earth cat."

Yuho hissed at this, and hid behind Rune's book, blocking her sight.

"Gross! And you actually ENJOY this stuff?"

"Yes. So does Sebastian. Right?"

"Nop." Sebsastian replied.

"Ha! See? Even HE doesn't like that stuff!" Chengeling cried out in triumph.

"No," Starfire corrected, "he said 'nop', it is Tameranian. It means 'yes'."

"Oh...hey, why did you say it in Tameranian instead of English?" Changeling asked Sebastian, who was walking over to the stools where thw two cooks were.

"Geklar moh sze markov ki seffo dwelse Covyll fuugin mohi." he replied.

"...Huh?"

"He said 'Because I am doing a dare that Covyll gave me'. Your dare was to speak Tameranian?"

"Nop. Soto desk."

"Wasn't 'Soto' that creepy stone alien guy that tried to kidnap me a few years ago?"

Starfire sighed. "He said, 'Yes. All day.' Covyll dared him to speak Tameranian all day, so he is."

"Ooooh. Man! I need to learn that language!"

Rune stayed silent, pretending to read her book, while in reality she was eavesdropping.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Eavesdropping? What a bad girl you are, Rune.

'Well, I'm trying to learn.'

**Fear: **Learn what?

'Tameranian. Sebastian will be speaking it all day, and the others will be translating. This is the perfect opportunity to learn the language without anyone knowing.'

But why don't you want anyone to know?

'The element of suprise is one of my favorites.'

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Dude! Forget the stupid dare and just speak ENGLISH already!" Changeling yelled from across the table. It was now dinner time, and everyone was seated, eating their lasagne. The green adult had had just about enough with all the translating, and 'Mah kah sless orsek ki wazoka?'-ing (Which he later found out to mean "You did _that_ with a _fish_?"). It was driving him insane!

"Kostos! Moh drustro dro nelf seffo dwelse Covyll fuugin mohi! Moh nix kostos questo!"

"Gah! What is he SAYING?"

"He said, 'Never! I have to do the dare that Covyll gave me! I will never lose!'." Rune said absently. Everyone at the table stared at her, most with incredulous expressions on their faces. After a moment, she realized that they were all looking at her. "...What?"

"_You_ speak Tameranian?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh, I was right?"

Starfire nodded. "That was a perfect translation."

"Oh. Okay."

"How do _you_ know _Tameranian_?" Changeling asked.

"I pay attention," Rune answered. Everyone was now confused at how Rune knew Tameranian, as they continued their meals. Everyone _except_ Nightwing, that is.

**Yep, 'cause Nightwing's SMART. Okay, I hope you liked the chapter. Did the Tameranian words confuse you? I hope not. Dang it, I wish I had Rune's memory... Oh well. Review please!**

**Thank you!**

**---Later.**


	17. Extreme Hide and Seek Part 1

**Yay! Thank you for the reviews. I am very happy now. I'm glad you all like this story. Here's the next chapter! Were going to have a bit of a time-jump in this one. I hope no one minds. Oh, and I get all the school dates from using my school (meaning that since the first day of school for me is August 8th, then that's also the first day of school for Rune).**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the Teen Titans, I'm just doing this for fun.**

Ch. 17: Extreme Hide-and-Seek Part 1

Two weeks and sixteen days passed with hardly any crime. It was now Friday, July 28th, and three weeks after Rune's seventeenth birthday party. But, it was also ten days before school started again.

Nothing of interest had happened since that day when Sebastian spoke only in Tameranian. Covyll had taught Yuho some tricks, Sebastian had been beat by Rune during her self-defense training, Andrew had come and gone (and was currently at the Tower), and the Titans had been called away to save the city. Nothing new, really.

At the moment, the four teens were in Andrew's room. The adults had left the day before on a mission, and wouldn't be back until Sunday, so the four of them had the tower all to themselves. Rune and Yuho were sitting in Andrew's desk chair, Covyll was on the couch with Sebastian, and Andrew himself was on his bed.

"Hey, I have an idea," Andrew said, gaining everyone's attention.

"I'll do anything right now if it'll cure this bloody boredom," Covyll responed.

"How about we play the limerick game?"

"What the hell is the limerick game?"

"Well," Andrew started, "we each take turns coming up with a limerick. It can be about anything you like. Just come up with some rhymes."

"Sound interesting," Rune said.

"Sure, why not?" Sebastian said.

"Whatever," Covyll said.

"Meow!"

"Then it's settled. Who wants to go first?" No response. "...Okay, I guess I'll go, just to give you an idea of how to play." Andrew cleared his throat dramatically, then began.

"There lives a small cat we all know,

With fur as white as the snow,

He's daring and active,

And oh-so attractive,

Our small furry friend, Yuho."

"Meow!"

There was a light round of applause, during which Andrew took a large bow.

"Alright, I'll go next," Sebastian said. He thought about it for a minute, then spoke.

"I'm such a good writing utensil,

Although I am not very tensile,

I'm surrounded by wood,

I erase when I should,

Yes, my dears, I am a pencil."

Another round of applause, and then it was Covyll's turn.

"My friend had us play this weird game,

Which I think is really quite lame.

But I'm bored, so I'll play,

Without further delay,

In this fifteen seconds of fame."

"In this fifteen seconds of fame? That makes no sense," Rune said.

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you do better," Covyll retorted.

"Fine then.

"The moon in the sky shines so bright,

But it won't be out tonight,

I'll forever be sad,

For my lost comrade

Won't be there to make things right."

"Ah, how poetry describes our hearts," Andrew said, clapping lightly for Rune.

"What do you mean?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, whenever you write a poem, it describes you."

"...But, I'm not a pencil." Andrew laughed.

"No no, I meant that a different way. With your limerick, for example, I can tell that you are a fun-loving, random person with lots of imagination."

"Wow, impressive," Covyll said sarcastically.

"And with you, Covyll, I can tell that you are pretty creative, but you lack enthusiasm when it comes to new things."

"Okay, and what about Rune?" Covyll asked. Andrew looked at Rune.

"With Rune, I can tell that she is an artist at heart," he said.

_'In addition, Her heart wears many hidden scars, and her mind holds many secrets that she can tell no one,' _he added silently to himself.

"Interesting. Hey, I have an idea; let's play a different game," Covyll said.

"What do you have in mind?" Sebastian asked, knowing the answer before Covyll even spoke.

"Truth or Dare."

"No. That game is getting old," Andrew said.

"Awe, you're no fun. Fine then, how about a sport?"

"I don't like sports," Rune said.

"Poker?"

"I don't know how to play," Sebastian said.

"Video games?"

"All the games are only two-player," Andrew said.

"Monopoly?"

"Next," the other three teens said at once.

"Alright, how about one of you come up with something, hm?" Covyll asked, tired of his ideas being thrown away.

"How about extreme hide-and-seek?" Sebastian offered.

"What's the difference?" Rune asked. All three boys smirked.

"The rules are the same as regular hide-and-seek, but there's a twist," Andrew said. "In this case, whoever is 'it' counts to one hundred while the rest of the players hide somewhere in, on, or around the tower. You can't leave the island, however. After 'it' counts to one hundred, he or she searches for the rest of the players. The first person to be tagged is the new 'it'. After you find a person, you and him must go search for the others.

"The twist is that you can use any of your powers or ideas to help to hide yourself or find another person. The only place you can't hide is in a bedroom. For example, I could use my mind-reading powers to scan the area and find out if someone is in that room or not. Also, if you want to, you can set up traps to catch 'it' or the other players.

"There is no base, and no time-limit." He finished.

"Sounds interesting," Rune replied.

"Then it's settled! We'll play rock-paper-scissors to figure out who will be 'it' first," Covyll said. The four of them stood in the center of Andrew's bedroom floor and held there fists out. "Ready? Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

Andrew and Rune had paper.

Covyll had rock.

Sebastian had scissors.

"Wait, how does this help decide who's 'it' and who's not?" Rune asked.

"...Let's draw straws instead," Covyll said. After gathering and preparing four straws, each of them drew one and compared their sizes.

"It's official, Rune is 'it'," Sebastian said. Rune sighed.

"Where do I count?"

"In this room is fine. Later!" Andrew said, as the three boys left the room and closed the door.

Rune sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"...ninety-eight, ninty-nine, one hundred. Ready or not, here I come."

Rune left Andrew's room and walked down a random hallway, hoping it would lead to something. She eventually came upon the training room, and so decided to search it. Inside she found nothing but weights and other equiptment, so she left. She searched all around, in the main room, in the infirmary, in the bathrooms, and in the entrance hall, but she still could not find anyone.

They weren't in the storage room.

They weren't in the meeting room.

They weren't in the security room.

They weren't in the basement.

They weren't on the roof.

They weren't anywhere in the Tower.

Rune decided to go and check the garden that Starfire was caring for. She left the Tower and walked a little away from it, following a dirt path that lead her to her destination. She looked around and saw nothing unusual; some flowers, some vegetables, a scarecrow, and a couple of weeds.

When did Starfire get a scarecrow?

"...Good question." Rune walked over to the scarecrow and poked it.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Ah!

"Andrew?"

A dramatic sigh was heard. "'Tis the fate of a simple scarecrow." Suddenly, the scarecrow vanished, and there stood Andrew. "How did you see past my hologram?" He asked. Rune shrugged. "Oh well. Onward! We must find our lost companions before the day is done!" He said, pointing at the setting sun.

"Oh, wow. I didn't realize how late it was. Okay, well, let's go."

They weren't by the shore, and they weren't in the garage. The only place left to check was the obstacle course.

"Okay, I think I know how we can find these guys," Rune said, taking out her communicator. Andrew smirked.

"Good idea."

"Here, go on the roof and call Sebastian and Covyll as loudly as you can, that way I can here where they are."

"Got it." Andrew flew off, leaving Rune alone. After a few minutes, she heard Andrew's voice coming from her left. She quickly followed the sound and found Sebastian trying desperately to turn his communicator off. Rune tapped his shoulder, and he sighed.

"That was _dirty_," he said. Rune smirked. "Okay, let's go find waterboy."

The two of them walked back to where Rune had been standing in the center of the obstacle course, and listened. But, instead of hearing Andrew or Covyll, they heard a low rumbling sound.

"Oh no," Sebastian said, eyes widening.

"What?" Rune asked. The ground below them shook a little.

"That bastard. That dirty little bastard."

"What?" Rune asked, more forcefully this time. A split second later, a giant fist shot out of the ground a few feet away.

"Let the fun begin!" Covyll said to them over their communicators. Rune looked at Sebastian, then followed his gaze to the stands, where Covyll was standing. Covyll waved, then pressed a few buttons on the control panel.

"This should get interesting," Sebastian said.

Rune didn't fully understand what was going on, but she knew one thing for sure:

She was going to kill Covyll.

**They're going to have a fun time out on the obstacle course. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review!**

**---Later!**


	18. Extreme Hide and Seek Part 2

** Thank you for the reviews, people. Here's the next chapter! Oh, and I really don't know much about piranas, so if I get something wrong, please excuse me.**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I wonder how many disclaimers I'm going to have on this story? Anyway, the Titans aren't mine. You should all know this by now. And no, Furby doesn't belong to me, either. I used to have one, but it creeped me out, so I let my Uncle take it apart. Furby's...not with us anymore.**

Ch. 18: Extreme Hide-and-Seek Part 2

Sebastian pulled out his communicator and called Covyll. His smirking face appeared on the screen seconds later, followed by his voice.

"You rang?"

"Covyll, I am going to kill you."

"Oh. Well, good luck with that. You see, over the weekend while you were at the movies with Andrew, I was helping Cyborg and Nightwing remodel the obstacle course. It's much cooler now, and you have no idea what to expect!" Sebastian looked at Rune, who nodded in confirmation.

"How come no one told me?" He demanded.

"You never asked," Rune replied simply. Sebastian glared at her, then returned his attention to Covyll.

"Okay now, enough with the chit-chat. Let's see what this baby can do!" The transmission ended, and Sebastian put his communicator away. In the distance, they could see Andrew fly over to Covyll. The two spoke for a minute, then smiled evilly and pressed some buttons on the control panel.

"Traitor," Rune said about Andrew. Sebastian nodded in agreement. After a few more seconds of waiting, more rumbling was heard from the ground.

"Rune," Sebastian said.

"Yes?"

"Run."

Giant metal fists shot out of the ground one by one, flying high into the air. Rune and Sebastian jumped away from them, doing well not to get hit. They turned and ran from that section of the huge course and looked around. Without delay, the ground disappeared from under them, and they were falling into darkness. Sebastian quickly grabbed Rune's wrist with his left hand and held on to the wall with his right, stopping their fall.

"Are you okay?" He asked Rune.

"Peachy, and yourself?" she replied sarcastically.

He smirked. "Never better."

"Wasn't that fun?" Andrew called from over the communicators. Rune, being the only one with a free hand, grabbed hers and responded.

"What happened to being a brave knight and saving damsels in distress?"

"Well, I have decided to join the dark side!" Andrew said dramatically, topping it off with an evil laugh. "Muh ha ha ha ha!"

"...I see. You do know I'm going to hurt you when I get out of here, right?"

Andrew sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. But, it is SO worth it!"

"Hey,Covyll," Sebastian called. Rune held the communicator up so he wouldn't have to yell.

"How may I assist you?" Covyll responed.

"What happened to the spikes that were at the bottom of this pit? It seems deeper."

"You're right, my good man," Andrew said.

"Cyborg thought it would be cooler if we made it deeper, then put a whole bunch of water down there. In a minute, when I press this shiny golden butten, the water will rise. If you let it carry you to the top, you can get out."

"What's the catch?" Sebastian asked.

"Hm... Well, there _are_ some piranas down there. Nightwing thought that would be a nice touch."

"_PIRANAS? _What were they _thinking_ when they built this stuff?" Rune yelled.

"Well, you guys better hurry. I just pushed the button. Later much!" Rune put her communicator away and listened. Sure enough she heard the sounds of rushing water beneath them.

"Great. What are we going to do _now_?" Sebastian said. He noticed that the top of the hole was about five feet from his hand, and that if he wasn't holding Rune, he could climb out easily.

"Sebastian," Rune started.

"Not now, I'm thinking."

"Well, think faster, because I can see the water," she said, annoyed and worried at the same time. Sebastian looked down and saw that Rune was, infact, correct.

He thought for another minute when an idea finally came to him. "That's it! Rune, if you can climb out of here, then I can climb out after you."

"That's great but how am I going to climb out?"

"Use me as a ladder. Climb up me and grab hold of the top, then pull yourself out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just need two arms."

"Okay." Rune grabbed on to Sebastian's leg and clung to it as he held onto the wall with both of his hands.

"Okay, I'm ready," he said. The water was almost touching Rune's shoes. "Go."

Rune pulled her legs up and wrapped them around Sebastian's left one, as if he was a rope in gym class. Then she held onto his shoulders and pulled herself up further, using her legs to hold on to his waist. After that, she pulled herself up so she was standing on his shoulders, then grabbed onto the wall and began climbing. Finally, she made it to the top and pulled herself up.

She looked over the edge back down at Sebastian and saw him climbing up as well. If he wasn't hiding his face as best as he could, she would have seen the light blush on his cheeks. Once he was close enough to the top, she helped pull him up and over the edge. They looked back down and saw that the piranas were jumping in and out of the water.

"That was interesting," Rune said.

"Yeah, it wa-AH! OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!" Sebastian jumped up and began kicking his leg as hard as he could. Rune also jumped up and asked him what was wrong, but recieved no reply except for, "Get it off! Get it off!"

She looked at his leg and saw a small pirana attached to his ankle. Quickly, she pushed him to the ground and sat on his thighs, facing the pirana. She tried to grab it's tail, but Sebastian was twitching too much.

"Hold still!" She yelled demandingly. He complied as best he could, and she grabbed the thing's tail. She then grabbed it's body and squeezed as hard as she could, making it release Sebastian's ankle out of pain. It kept wiggling all around, trying as hard as it could to bite Rune's hands, but to no avail. She got off of Sebastian's legs and threw the pirana back in the water, then turned and faced him.

He was sitting up, examining his ankle; there was a bunch of blood on him and the ground. Rune ripped the sleeve off of her jacket and ran off of the obstacle course, leaving Sebastian alone. She returned a few minutes later, having wet her sleeve in the ocean water, and began cleaning his wound.

"Ow!"

"Oh, be quiet. It's not even that deep, see?" She cleared away some of the blood, and the two of them could make out bloody teeth marks on his skin. After it was cleaned, she used her sleeve as a bandage and wrapped it tightly around his wound, then tied it at the ends. The two of them stood up and looked at each other.

"Uh...thank you," Sebastian said akwardly. Rune nodded.

_**'Do do do da DOO do do da do'**_

"Yeah, what is it, Covyll?" Sebastian asked, answering his communicator.

"You guys okay? We thought Rune ran away to hurl or something at the sight of all that blood," he said.

"I've seen worse," Rune answered quietly. Sebastian looked at her questioningly, but she didn't say anything more on the subject.

"Yeah, we're fine," he responded.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Great! 'Cause here comes the third challenge," Covyll said before putting his communicator away. He pressed a few more buttons and flipped a couple of switches on the control panel, then sat back to admire his work.

"This is fun," Andrew said. "Man, you should've heard some of Sebastian's thoughts when Rune was climbing out of that hole, ha ha!"

"I think I can already guess what was going through that pervert's mind. Oh! There it is!"

The two boys looked out across the obstacle course and saw Rune and Sebastian trying to get away from about fifty basketball-sized robots that were shooting lasers at the two. Sebastian used his red starbolts to destroy half of them, and Rune released her anger on the other half.

"Ouch," Andrew winced, "I'd hate to be those robots. Who knew Rune had that strong a punch?"

"Ouch...I did," Covyll said, remembering the time when he insulted Rune and she hit him for it.

After a few minutes, all of the robots were in peices on the ground. The two teens in the stands saw Sebastian and Rune talking quietly to each other, occasionally looking over at the control panel. Finally, the two on the course shook hands, and faced the control panel, evil glittering in their eyes.

"What do you think they're going to do?"

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this," Covyll said. He turned a few knobs and pressed a few buttons, then pulled a lever. "And for the finale," he pushed a button that said 'Do Not Push', and then sat back to admire his work.

"Hey, um Covyll? I'm not really an expert on buttons, but when something says 'Do Not Push', shouldn't you like, _not _push it?"

Covyll smirked. "This button is a special button, the biggest obstacle on this training course, so Nightwing and Cyborg wrote 'Do Not Push' on it so that Changeling and Sebastian wouldn't push it at random."

"Why would Sebastian push it?"

"You know him. He always wants to figure out what things do. Remember that time he took apart Cyborg's old Furby?"

Andrew shuddered. "I _still_ have the nightmares."

"Exactly."

They looked at Sebastian and Rune and saw them fighting their way through a bunch of robotic ninjas. Rune was having a pretty hard time on her side, but Sebastian had his starbolts and strength. Finally, she managed to break one, and she took it's sword. After that, she was untouchable.

Once the ninja robots were defeated, Sebastian and Rune ran towards the stands where Covyll and Andrew were. But another obstacle was in their way. This time there were guns that came out of the rocks and shot smoke bombs everywhere. After Sebastian and Rune were completely blinded, the guns shot out freeze-disks. When the smoke cleared away, Andrew and Covyll saw that their friends had managed to dodge the attacks.

Sebastian and Rune continued running towards the stands, when yet _another_ obstacle halted them. A giant metal cage shot out from the ground and trapped them inside with another robot. This one looked like Cyborg, but red instead of blue.

"Hah! They'll never get out of there!" Covyll said.

"Yeah, that does seem really tough," Rune said from behind them.

"I agree," Sebastian said, right next to her. Covyll tried to turn around, but a sword was pressed against his neck. He looked to his right and saw Andrew trapped by Sebastian. He looked back down at the giant cage, and saw that Rune and Sebastian were still in there, fighting the fake Cyborg.

"What the hell?" he said.

"Should we tell them?" Rune asked.

"Nah, let them figure it out on their own," Sebastian responded, letting go of Andrew. Rune removed the sword from Covyll's neck, and let him turn around.

"You guys are good," Andrew said. Rune and Sebastian shared a smirk, then the four of them went back inside the Tower.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssse?" Andrew begged. The four teens were in the main room, sitting on the couch. Andrew and Covyll had been begging Sebastian and Rune to tell them how they did it.

"We know you use holograms, we just want to know when and how!" Covyll said.

Rune sighed. "Fine, we'll tell you."

"Yay!"

"Okay, when those robot guns threw the smoke bombs, Sebastian turned on the holograms. Then we snuck away and hid behind some rocks while the smoke was spreading," Rune said.

"While your attention was on the holograms, we were sneaking around the feild to catch you off guard," Sebastian said.

"And you never saw it coming," Rune finished.

"That was a good plan," Andrew said. "Even Covyll couldn't tell the difference between you and the holograms."

"Ah, well. It looks like Rune wins this round. Who's up for pizza?" Covyll asked, picking up the phone.

"You guys go ahead, I'm not hungry," Rune said. The three of them looked at her. "...What?"

"You didn't eat lunch or breakfast," Andrew said.

"You've been exercising all day," Sebastian said.

"Come to think of it, you hardly ever eat," Covyll said.

"And your point is? So I have a small stomach, big deal. I'm going to take a shower," Rune said, then she walked away.

"I hope it really is just a small stomach," Sebastian said. The other two nodded in agreement.

"Well, more for us!" Covyll said happily. He was slapped for this.

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Rune was walking down a long hallway when Smarty decided to pay her a visit.

You don't have a small stomach. And you are, infact, hungry. What's wrong?

_'I just don't want to be around them right now, okay?'_

Well, fine, but you should still eat something...

_'Just leave me alone."_

Does it have anything to do with the fact that you're leaving in ten days?

Rune stopped walking.

** I hope you liked this chapter! Next one will be out very soon. Please review and let me know what you think about this.**

**---Later!**


	19. Surprises

**Thank you for the reviews. I hope you guys like what I have planned for this!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters on the show Teen Titans, but I DO own my original characters: Rune, Sebastian, Covyll, Andrew, and others that will be introduced soon.**

Ch. 19: Suprises

_'Just leave me alone.'_

Does it have anything to do with the fact that you're leaving in ten days?

Rune stopped walking. She looked down at the floor while closing her eyes and sighed.

Thought so.

_'I'm... I'm going to miss them. They're my first friends in a really long time, and I don't want to lose them, as corny as that sounds.'_

**Fear: **That'd be the worst thing ever...

**Unknown: **(sniffle) I don't want to go! It'll be too heart-breaking!

Rune looked up as she heard the new voice crying in her mind. Puzzled, she thought for a moment about who it could be. The answer was plainly obvious.

_'Are you...Sadness?'_

**Sadness: **Yes. I know how you feel, Rune. If you want to cry, (sniff) you can. I know you'll miss them terribly.

**Fear:** And there's still the chance that they might forget about you...

Will you two knock it off? You're not making her feel any better!

**Sadness: **Oh, I'm so sorry! P-please forgive meee!

SMACK.

Shut up, will you? Smarty demanded. The grieving emotion was silenced at once. Look, Rune, school will be over before you know it! Then you can come back here and live with the Titans. Okay?

Rune didn't answer her, as she continued walking down the hall and to the bathroom for her shower.

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The next day, Rune, Sebastian, and Andrew were rudely awakened by the sounds of Covyll screaming.

"Bloody hell! What do you think you're _doing,_ sneaking up on me while I'm sleeping! Geez, woman!" A resounding SLAP was heard, followed by, "Ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Silence!" A familiar woman yelled.

"Maybe we should tie him up?" another familiar voice, this time male, said.

"Be my guest," the woman said, as she continued walking down the hall. Rune, Sebastian, and Andrew looked outside of their bedrooms to see Raven Falle walking towards them, and Logan Falle taping Covyll's mouth shut with weird, sticky red tape.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" Rune asked, walking over to her mother, who hugged her.

"Well, I'm here to take you school shopping, and your father is here to... Well, I really don't know why he came with me, to be honest," Raven answered.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Falle," Sebastian said.

"Bon jour, Madame," Andrew said, bowing as he kissed Raven's hand. Logan glared at him, whereas Raven smiled.

"Mmmph! Mm mmm hmmm?" Covyll said through the tape. Sebastian and Andrew smirked.

"Can we leave him like that?" Rune asked. Covyll glared at them all, still trying unsuccessfully to remove the red tape from his mouth.

"Well, get dressed, Rune. You and I are leaving in ten minutes, so be ready." Rune nodded and headed back into her room, closing and locking the door behind her. It's not that she didn't _trust_ the Titan boys to not walk in on her, it's just...oh no, wait, it was that.

Raven and Logan looked at the remaining three teens.

"Where are your parents?" Raven asked.

"They're on a mission, and won't be back tomorrow. They had to go pick up some new recruits for the team," Andrew responded. Logan glared at the three boys.

"So you three have been alone with my daughter all night," he said, more than asked. The three of them gulped at his evil tone.

"Logan, what could have possibly happened while they were alone? Rune's not that kind of a girl," Raven said.

"Well," Rune started, stepping out of her room with Yuho in hand, "Covyll and Andrew _did_ trap us on the obstacle course, and we almost got eaten by piranas and stabbed by robotic ninjas. But, other than that, nothing major happened."

Logan disliked the three teenage boys even more.

"Well, let's be off, Rune," Raven said, as the girl put her cat down and followed her mother down the hall.

"DON'T LEAVE US WITH HIM!" Sebastian and Andrew cried out. Rune and Raven looked back and saw that they were talking about Logan, who was smirking sinisterly and had flames dancing behind him, evil laughter echoing in the background. The two women shrugged and kept walking, ignoring the cries for help.

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Rune and Raven got into the car that Raven had rented, and Raven used her powers to slowly float the car over to the main land.

"So, Rune, what's been going on lately? Have you been having fun?" Raven asked as they floated over the water.

Rune thought for a moment about all the times her three friends got into fights over pizza, video games, and other random things like that. Then she thought about a few nights ago, when Covyll told her the horror story about Sebastian and the Furby. She had to admit, it was pretty horrifying...

"Yeah, things have been...interesting around the Tower."

Hey! Aren't you going to tell her about us?

Rune sighed._ 'If I must...'_

"Oh, yeah. And I've made a few new friends aside from the Titans."

"Oh, really? Who are they?"

"Hm... Smarty, Fear, and Sadness," Rune answered. Raven looked at her for a minute, and the car stopped moving over the water.

_'Yep. Any second now she's gonna send me to a mental institution...'_

"Really? Only three? I would have expected at least five by now," Raven said, continuing to fly the car foreward.

"Eh?"

"I have eight, actually. Maybe your powers are just developing more slowly? Oh well. You should start meditating. I can help you find a mantra to use; I have a book of Azarathian phrases we can look through. It should still be in my room..."

"Uh huh. Whatever..."

"So, who did you get first?" Raven asked, as the car finally reached the road.

"Smarty."

"I figured as much. I think you'e more intelligent than I was when I was your age."

"Which voice did _you_ start hearing first?"

"Anger."

"Interesting..."

The two women finally made it to the mall, and began their shopping. They talked about random things; missions the Titans went on, the books they'd been reading, the mission Rune went on a few weeks ago (Raven grew furious at the Titans when she heard that they used her daughter as bait), and other random things.

Finally, about an hour of shopping later, they piled all their bags of clothing and school supplies into the car, and drove back to the Tower. As they turned down random streets, Raven started a conversation.

"Rune, there's something I need to tell you," she said, gaining her daughter's attention. "I... you're father and I, that is, are going to...what I mean to say is... Rune, I'm pregnant." Rune was shocked.

"You're...again? Wow, that's great! How far along are you?"

"About a month," Raven said, happy that Rune supported her. "But, I need to find a way to tell your father."

"He doesn't know yet?" Rune asked incredulously. Raven shook her head. "You have to tell him when we get back to the tower! Is it going to be a- oh, wait. I guess it's too early to tell, huh?"

"It's a boy," Raven said. Rune blinked in confusion. "I just know these things; I can sense it."

"...Cool! I'll have a little brother." Raven smiled; she had never seen Rune so happy about anything, and she was glad that her son would have a caring sister to look after him.

As the two girls drove and talked about the baby, neither of them noticed faint screams of terror coming from Titans Tower in the background.

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A half an hour later, both mother and daughter entered the Tower carrying large plastic bags. As soon as the door closed behind them, the three boys they had left behind ran up to them and took their bags, then ran away just as fast. Raven raised an eyebrow at her smirking husband as he walked over to them.

"What's gotten into them?" Rune asked. Her only response was evil chuckles coming from her father.

The three family members went to the main room and saw Sebastian, Covyll, and Andrew. Sebastian washelping Andrew adjust the volume for a microphone in the living room was in the kitchen, preparing a delicious-smelling meal. None of them said anything.

Logan led Raven to the dinner table and pulled out her chair for her. Rune smirked and went to sit on the back of the couch, watching the show.

"What's all this for?" Raven asked, as Sebastian served the food that Covyll made. When that was done, the two boys went over to Andrew and helped him turn on the music.

"No reason," Logan answered, seating himself across from his wife. As they began their meal, the music started, and Andrew began to sing, with Covyll and Sebastian as the backup singers.

"Imagine me and you, I do,

I think about you day and night, it's only right,

To think about the girl you love, and hold her tight,

So happy together!

If I should call you up, and just in time,

And you'll say you belong to me, 'cause you are mine,

Imagine how the world will be so very fine,

So happy together!

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you,

For all my life!

When you're with me, baby, the skies will be blue,

For all my life!"

As the song continued, Raven started to tell Logan the big news. She waited until he finished his water, and then came out and said it.

"Logan, I'm pregnant with your son." Apparently, she should have waited for him to finish his steak, as well, because after he heard that, he started choking. He calmed down after a few minutes, and she gave him some of her water to soothe his throat.

When he was able to breathe easily again, Logan said, "Pregnant? With my son?" Raven nodded, and Logan jumped out of his seat. He went over to her as fast as he could, then picked her up and spun her around. "That's great! Oh my goodness, why didn't you tell me sooner?" he demanded.

"Well," she started, as he hugged her tightly and the song ended, "I wasn't sure how you'd react. But, anyway, you're going to have a son." Logan smiled again and kissed his wife, while the oher children in the room looked away, making faces.

**Wel, how do you like that? Raven's pregnant! Yay her. I hope you all liked this chapter. The song was "So Happy Together", by ...Well, I really don't know who sings this version (so many people have redone the song!), but I know it's faster and cooler than the one by the Turtles, so, yay. The next chapter will be out soon, so leave a review!**

**ANOTHER THING: Tell me what you think Raven's son's name should be.**

**---Later!**


	20. New Recruits

**Eh, I didn't like the last chapter all that much. But some of you did, so thank you for the reviews!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and Red X are not mine. I only own my original characters.**

Ch. 20: New Recruits

Raven and Logan ended up spending the night at the Tower; it was now Sunday, July 30. After everyone had woken up and eaten breakfast (minus Raven and Rune, who opted for herbal tea instead), they had a few more hours to wait before the other titans would return. Raven decided to use this time to help Rune.

Currently, the two women were in Raven's old bedroom. She wasn't suprised to find all of her belongings to be very dusty; it made her happy that they respected her personal things when she left. As Rune looked around the dimly lit room, she fell in love with it.

"You gave _this _up to live in an _apartment_?"

"Yes. I didn't have the time to pack everything, and besides, your father's apartment -large though it may be- would never hold all of these things."

While Raven searched through her book case, Rune inspected her CD collection.

_'Disturbed, Linking Park, Cascada, Nightwish- I've never even _heard_ of half these bands. I wonder what kind of music it is? Eh, maybe I can listen to them later.'_

"Aha! Found it," Raven said, dusting off a large book. She sat on her bed, and motioned for Rune to do the same. When both were settled, Raven searched through the book until she found the chapter she was looking for. "You don't understand this, do you?" she asked.

Rune looked at the pages her mother was indicating, then shook her head. "No. I can read the words, but I've got no idea what they mean," she answered. Raven nodded.

"I figured as much. That's because this book is written in anceint Azarathian. Do you remember when you were thirteen, and I taught you a new language?" Rune nodded. "That was modern Azarathian. There are only a few people in the universe who can read anceint Azarathian, including myself."

"Is it something you can teach me?" Raven smiled.

"Nope! It's something you're born knowing." Rune pouted, and Raven laughed. "Okay, so let's cut to the chase, shall we? Look at each of the sentences in this chapter, and tell me which one sticks out the most." Rune nodded and did as she was told.

Rune looked at each sentence, one by one, never finding one that caught her attention. Fifteen minutes had passed, and even though her mother didn't seem to mind, it bothered Rune.

_'Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Corenum Orezon Xinoths, Necronom Hezberek Mortix--Aug! None of these seem right!'_

Calm down. Patience is a virtue, you know.

_'Yes, but I thought this would be easier.'_

Nothing in life is easy.

**Fear: **What if you're not powerful enough to have a mantra? What if your parents disown you for being so weak? What if they kick you out, and you spend the rest of your life on the streets as a prostitute!

**Sadness: **(crying) I'm s-so sorry! Th-this is all my fault! Maybe-maybe I should just die, and then-then you'll be able to s-stay with your family!

_'...I don't think you're sadness, I think you're insanely depressed. Fear, shut up. My parents won't disown me, and I am _not _weak! I'm just being impatient.'_

See? Just keep looking. You'll find it eventually.

Deciding that the only _sane_ personality side was right, Rune continued her search for a mantra. A half an hour later, Rune found herself staring at an interesting line on the paper.

"Rune, you're eyes haven't moved for about five minutes now. Did you find it?" Raven asked.

"...I ...I think so."

"Which one is it?"

"This one. It says, 'Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor'. What does that mean?"

"Hm... Nice choice, Rune. This one sticks out the most?"

"Yes. What does it mean?"

Raven smirked. "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."

_**'Do do do da DOO do do da do!'**_

"Hey Raven, Rune, the others are back!" Andrew called over the communicators.

"We'll be there in a minute," Raven responded, then she put her communicator away. Turning to Rune, she said, "Remember that phrase, Rune. Not only is it the mantra you'll use when meditating, but it can also help you in battle."

The two girls walked out of Raven's room and went to go greet the others.

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Everyone was standing in the main room together, listening as Nightwing explained a few things to them. One of them being the three new teenagers he brought with him.

"Our mission was a success. These three -Kimi, Selina, and James- have now officially proved themselves worthy of being called 'Teen Titans'. They will be living with us from now on."

Kimi was about average height and weight, with light brown skin and French-braided, shoulder-length black hair. She had bright green eyes, and was smiling. She was wearing baggy orange, knee-length shorts and a white T-shirt, along with a pair of white sneakers.

Selina was a little shorter than Kimi, at about 5'3", and was average weight. She had light brown hair that was drawn up in a tight bun, with a few pieces hanging loose in the back, and cream-colored skin. She was looking down at the ground, but you could still see her cat-like yellow eyes. She wore a pair of jeans, white sneakers, and a loose-fitting green blouse.

James was taller than the two girls, and looked fit. He had short, blood red hair and teal colored eyes, combined with light skin (like Selina's). He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. Infact, he was winning in a glaring contest against Covyll, at the moment. He wore black jeans, a red shirt, a black trench coat, and black sneakers.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Andrew said, walking up to Kimi and taking her hand in his. "My name is Andrew, and it is an honor to meet you, my lady," he said, then he kissed the top of her hand.

Kimi giggled. "The pleasure's all mine, good sir," she responded, giving a graceful curtsy.

Sebastian, Rune, and Covyll all sighed when Andrew and Kimi ignored the rest of them to continue their conversation. The three of them stepped closer and introduced themselves.

"Hey. I'm Sebastian. These are my friends, Covyll and Rune."

"...Hello. I...I'm Selina, and this is my older brother, James," Selina said shyly, not making any eye contact. Covyll smirked at her, and received a hateful death glare from James.

"Where are you two from?" Rune asked.

"New York...City," Selina replied softly.

"Well, It's certainly a pleasure to meet such a pretty girl like you," Covyll said smoothly. Selina blushed and looked away; James glared at Covyll.

Kimi and Andrew ended their conversation and joined the other five teens.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Andrew asked. By now, the adults had all gone to other parts of the Tower and continued with their day.

"Hm... How about we go to someone's room and get to know each other a bit better?" Sebastian offered. It was unanimous (well, minus James. He didn't say anything). So, the seven of them went off to Covyll's room to hang out.

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Covyll's room was the standard size of all the bedrooms in Titans Tower--large. He had the normal things you'd find in a room; a metal desk with flat screen computer, a king sized bed with a white comforter, a closet, a couch, and white curtains on his giant window. But the thing that made his room special was the wall-to-wall aquarium that his bed faced, which was filled with colorful saltwater fish.

"Make yourselves at ho-ah! No, Yuho, no! Step _away_ from the fish!" Covyll yelled. The other six looked in the center of his floor to see Yuho looking innocently up at Covyll while he slowly backed away from the clown fish on the ground.

Rune walked over and picked up her cat, then watched with the rest as Covyll used his powers to stick the fish in a floating ball of water. He then floated the fish back to the tank, and watched as it swam around happily.

Covyll turned to face Yuho. "What did I tell you about playing with my fishes?" he asked sternly.

"Meow!"

"Don't talk back, mister! I know it was you!"

"I didn't know you could understand what Yuho says?" Sebastian said.

"I can't," Covyll replied. The room went silent. "...Anyway, _now_ you can all make yourselves at home."

They all found places to sit; Rune, Kimi, Andrew, and Covyll on the couch, James on the floor by the window, and Sebastian and Selina on the bed. Before Selina sat down, she saw a few magazines on the bed. When she went to move a few so she could sit, she noticed the covers.

Sebastian looked at her. "Hey, are you alright, Selina? You're face is really red. What's-?" He caught sight of the magazines. "Oh..." Then, he began laughing. "Hey, Covyll, you really need to clean up your room before you let people in here, man," Sebastian said, holding up one of the magazines for all to see.

On the cover, there were two girls doing...R rated things. Covyll's eyes widened and he ran to clean up the magazines. James, Kimi, and Rune glared at him, Andrew joined Sebastian in laughing at him, and Selina decided to just sit by her brother, her face glowing red in both shock and embarrassment.

"Okay, now that _that_ has been taken care of," Covyll said, sitting next to Sebastian on the bed, "what shall we do?"

"How about Truth or Dare?" Kimi suggested.

"Finally! Someone who understands the brilliance of that game like I do!" Covyll said enthusiastically, stars in his eyes.

"No offense, Kimi, but Covyll wears us out with that game," Andrew said. Kimi smiled.

"Well, we could always watch T.V.," Sebastian suggested.

"Or go to the movies," Rune pointed out.

"Sweet! Who's up for a movie?" Andrew asked.

"I'm in!" Kimi said.

"Why not?" Covyll said.

"Sure," Sebastian agreed.

"Okay," Selina answered softly.

James didn't answer. Selina looked at him to see him staring absently out of Covyll's window. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, and nodded oh-so slightly. Selina smiled.

"Then it's settled!" Covyll said, walking over to his computer to see what movies were playing.

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They all went to the movies a while later. Andrew and Kimi both started speaking in French halfway through the trip, so no one understood what they were saying anymore. Covyll kept hitting on Selina, making her blush and look away uncertainly, and James kept pulling her away from Covyll, being overprotective (and just plain hating Covyll). All in all, Sebastian and Rune were the only normal one's there.

**Hey! I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave a review! They make me really happy.**

**I don't know how many people this will interest, but I'll put it here anyway. These are the meanings to the teens' names:**

**Andrew: **Manly; brave

**Covyll:** Lives at the cave slope

**James: **Replace

**Kimi: **One without equal

**Rune:** Stealth; secret

**Sebastian:** Adored; idolized

**Selina: **Moon

**---Later!**


	21. Healing

**Hello, people. As always, thank you for the reviews! The date in this chapter is Monday, July 31, 2022. Also, I found the French translations at Dictionary (dot) com's translator. And... yeah, that's pretty much it. Read on!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a lot of things, one of them being the show "Teen Titans".**

Ch. 21: Healing

Raven and Logan took a day off from work so that they could spend another night with the Titans. Currently, the couple were sitting in the main room, along with everyone else in the Tower. Kimi and Starfire were in the kitchen cooking lunch, Sebastian and Andrew were watching their dads play a video game, and Rune was by the window reading. James was by the window looking out at the bay, Raven and Logan were sitting on the couch doing nothing, and Selina was watching Kimi and Starfire cook. Covyll and Changeling were on the ground behind the couch, playing with Yuho.

Rune inconspicuously looked over the top of her book at James, who was simply staring absently, seemingly deep in thought.

_'I wonder why he doesn't speak? Do you think he's mute?'_

No, I think that Nightwing and the others would have toldyou if he was. Maybe he just...doesn't have anything to say?

_'Maybe, but what about yesterday, when we went to the movies and Covyll kept hitting on his sister? James looked ready to _kill,_ at that point. Shouldn't he have, you know, started yelling at Covyll to back off?'_

True, but maybe it's a personal thing. Don't worry about it so much; you'll figure it out eventually. So, you've got a mantra, right?

_'Yeah, I do. _"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor". _My mom won't tell me what it means, though. She said I have to figure it out on my own.'_

Cool mantra. You should meditate, later today.

_'How the hell do you meditate, and why should I?'_

Because meditating will help you control your powers, so you should get used to it. Besides, it can help calm you down. And it passes the time. You should try it!

_'You sound like you're speaking from experience. Wait- How can _you _know about meditating, when _I_ don't?'_

Um... I was just making some lucky guesses.

After a moment, Rune noticed that she was still staring at James. And he was staring back at her, one eyebrow raised in question.

_'Ah! Stop staring, Rune, and just keep reading!' _She yelled at herself. She looked away and hid behind her book once more. James continued to stare at her for a moment, then looked back out at the bay.

Over on the couch, Nightwing just lost a race to Cyborg, who was currently doing his victory dance with Andrew.

"So, Nightwing," Raven started, standing up and facing the leader of the team, "who's idea was it to use **_my daughter _**as _bait _on a mission, hm?" Her glowing white eyes glared at Nightwing, while her hands become surrounded with black energy.

"Changeling! It was all Changeling's idea!" Nightwing said, looking nothing less than freaked.

Changeling, having heard his name, stood up to see who was talking about him. But then he caught sight of an angry Raven, and decided that itwould bebetter if he ran for his life.

"GAH! No, Raven don't be mad! We brought her back safe and sound, didn't we?" He yelled, while his former team mate tried to attack him. Everyone looked on in interest, not bothering to help Changeling or stop Raven.

"'Safe and sound', you say? She could've been **_raped_**, you idiot! You better hope I never catch you, 'cause if I do, I swear I'll-!"

"But it wasn't my fault!" he argued, running in circles around the couch. "I just said, 'Let's use someone for bait', then Nightwing said, 'Let's use Rune'. Cyborg and Starfire agreed! I tried to tell them that you would kill us, but they didn't listen!"

Raven was now glaring at each one of the adult Titans in turn. "Is that true?"

"Yes! It's the truth! Don't kill me!" Changeling said, turning into a parakeet and flying over to hide behind Rune.

Raven's hands were covered in black energy, which resembled fire in the way that it was moving, and she was smirking sinisterly at her former team mates.

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Raven sat back down on the couch next to Logan, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. Sebastian, Covyll, Andrew, Kimi, and Selina were all staring at her in horror, shocked at what she could do. Rune and James, however, decided to hide their suprise, as well as to never get on Raven's bad side.

"Don't you think that was a little...harsh?" Logan asked, though not really caring; it was fun to watch.

"You wanna be next?" Raven threatened.

Logan immediately hugged her tightly and said, "Have I told you how much I love you recently? Because I am your kind, loving husband, whom you would never want to maim or injure in any way...right?" Raven laughed.

A few minutes later, Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, and Changeling all walked back into the main room, sporting bruises and cuts, as well as being sore all over. Raven had taught them their lesson, and made them promise to never use Rune as bait without her consent ever again.

"You guys done learning?" Raven asked. They all nodded. "Good. Now come here, Starfire first." They all watched in amazement as Raven's hands began to glow a shimmering light blue color, then as she healed the wounds she had inflicted one by one.

A few minutes later, she was done with all of them.

"Wait. First you try to kill them, then you _heal_ them? Why does that not make any sense?" Sebastian asked.

"I healed them because if the Titan alarm goes off today or tomorrow, and they're still beaten up by me, then it's my responsibility to go beat the bad guy. I don't want to do that by myself, so I healed them. Besides, it's cruel to leave them in pain like that," Raven explained.

"Oh."

Half an hour later, everyone sat down at the table to eat lunch. The seating was as follows: Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Sebastian, Andrew, Kimi, Covyll, Raven, Logan, James, Selina, and Rune. Everyone began eating the carefully prepared chicken and rice soup (Changeling's was made speacial, with tofu instead of real chicken). Everyone _except_ James, who looked at Selina first. She nodded to him with a small smile, and he began eating.

What was that all about?

_'I have no idea.'_

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After lunch, Kimi and Andrew began annoying Covyll and Sebastian in French again. Raven and Logan went into the meeting room with the other adults to talk about a few things in private. Rune was having a conversation with Selina, who was steadily getting over her shyness. James wasn't anywhere to be seen, so everyone assumed he had gone to his room.

"Gah! Just tell us what you are saying! Speak_ English_ already!" Covyll yelled.

"Plllllleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaassse?" Sebastian begged.

"Au cas où nous?" _(Should we?) _Kimi asked Andrew. The two smirked at each other. "Non!" _(No!) _They said simultaneously.

"Covyll est un vrai âne de cric, n'est-ce pas?" _(Covyll is a real jack ass, isn't he?) _Andrew said. Kimi laughed.

"Ah! What did you say about me?" Covyll demanded.

"Rien! Rien! Rien du tout! Eh he he," _(Nothing! Nothing! Nothing at all!) _Kimi said, holding her hands up defensively.

Sebastian sighed. "Fine, fine. I give up. It's obvious you don't want us to listen in on your conversation, so, I give up."

"I will never give up! Fight the power! Down with Andrew!" Covyll yelled. "Ah, bloody hell! I _will_ find out what you're saying if it kills me!"

"...I pensent qu'il lui est perdu," _(I think he's lost it) _Andrew said. Kimi nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, with the sane people...

"So, how old are you, Selina?" Rune asked. Selina and her were sitting on the couch in the main room, the former petting Yuho gently.

"I'm fifteen," she replied. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen. And what about your brother?"

"He's sixteen. Um... do you have any powers?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but my mom says I should get them soon, if I have any. What about you and your brother? What can you guys do?"

"Well... I... I can..." Suddenly, Selina faded away into nothing, and Rune could no longer see her.

"Ah!" Rune looked around for a minute, then she felt a hand on hers.

"It's okay. I did it on purpose." Selina reappeared, a small smile on her face. "See?"

"...Woah. That was...really cool," Rune said, still shocked that Selina could be invisible.

"I can also do other things..."

"Like what?"

"Well... I can defy the laws of gravity," Selina said softly, "a-and I can cut things with my claws." She held up her hand for emphasis, and Rune inspected her razor-sharp claws in awe.

"Awesome. Is yellow your real eye color, or are those contacts?"

"Yes. I was born with these eyes, and James's are also natural. Um... Did you dye your hair?"

"Nope. Did James?" Selina shook her head. "Cool. Oh! You never told me what powers he has."

Selina looked a little nervous. "U-um... James doesn't really... I don't think he would like... He doesn't..."

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything; if he doesn't want us to know yet, then that's fine." Selina nodded, and smiled a shy smile.

Back with the crazy people, Covyll was fighting with Andrew, while Kimi and Sebastian watched, laughing their heads off.

"Je ne veux pas vous blesser," _(I don't want to hurt you)_ Andrew said warningly, a small smirk on his face.

"Oh yeah? Well right back at you, buddy! I'm going to hurt you so badly-!"

Andrew sighed. "Peut-être vous devriez prendre une classe française?" _(Maybe you should take a French class?) _He suggested.

"**What'd you just call me?**" Covyll demanded. Kimi cracked up laughing. "That's it, I've had it!"

Covyll held out his hand, and a small river of water floated around his fist. He then directed the water so that it was floating around Andrew. When Andrew was completely surrounded by water, he froze it into an egg shape.

"Heh. That should hold him for a while," Covyll said, smirking triuphantly. Andrew was banging on the ice, yelling something that no one could hear. After a few minutes, he started shivering and, his breath could be seen clearly.

"Hey, Covyll? How cold is it in there?" Kimi asked.

"Um, about fourty-nine degrees Fahrenheit. Why?"

"_What_?" Kimi exclaimed. She quickly walked over to the ice prison and placed her hands on it. "Hold on, this'll just take a second." In the blink of an eye, her hands lit on fire and began melting the ice. A minute later, there was a large puddle on the floor, and an equally large hole in the ice. Kimi and Sebastian pulled Andrew out, and the former helped him warm up.

"T-th-that-t w-was-s r-rre-reall-ly c-col-d," Andrew said, hugging Kimi for warmth.

"Yes! You're speaking in English! I win!" Covyll cried out, doing a victory dance in joy.

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Later that night, after Mr. and Mrs. Falle left for home and everyone went to sleep, Sebastian went to the main room to get a drink. He didn't bother turning on the lights, because he didn't want to wake anyone up. Besides, he could see well enough.He opened the refrigerator door and got himself a glass of orange juice, then closed it and faced the counter.

"Meow!"

"Ah!"

**SPLOSH! SHATTER!**

Sebastian sighed, then glared at Yuho, who was sitting innocently on the counter top.

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" He said. Yuho just jumped to the ground and began rubbing against Sebastian's legs, purring happily. "Okay, give me a minute and I'll take you back to Rune," he said, walking away to get the broom.

After the mess was cleaned up, Sebastian grabbed Yuho and went off to Rune's room. He was about to knock, when he heard her talking.

"-quiet and let me try it out, then we'd know... No, I am not! ...Yes, it will hurt, but that doesn't matter. I just want to test- Uhg. Stop talking! Sadness, this isn't your or anyone else's fault. Fear, shut up! It'll hurt, but so what? And Smarty, I know it's not a good thing to do to myself, but I want to try it. Okay? Good! Geeze..."

Instead of knocking, Sebastian simply opened the door to see who Rune was talking to. But rather than seeing other people, he saw Rune sitting on her bed with a knife, about to cut her right arm.

"Ah! Rune, wait!" She turned and saw Sebastian drop Yuho and run into her room, taking the knife away from her.

"What are you doing?" She asked monotonously.

"That's _my_ line! What are _you_ doing with a knife? Are you a cutter or something? What's gotten into you? When did this start? Why are you doing this? Was it something I said? Is it my fault? Talk to me, Rune!" He said very quickly.

Rune blinked a couple of times, then smirked. "I never knew you though so lowly of me."

"Wha-?"

"I am not a cutter. I never have been, I never will be. Nothing has 'gotten into' me, you didn't say anything, and it's not your 'fault'."

"Then what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm testing something."

"What, your blood?"

Rune held her hand out for the knife, waiting patiently. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously for a moment, then reluctantly let her have it back. She held the knife over her arm again and cut. A second later, blood began seeping out of it. She put the knife down and held herleft hand over the wound she inflicted. Sebastian watched as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he had to admit, her hand looked really cool covered in shimmering silver energy.

"Woah! Rune, how did you do that?" Rune opened her eyes and saw exactly what she had expected; the cut was gone.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review on your way out.**

**---Later!**


	22. Hope

**Holy crap! I got SEVEN reviews on the last chapter! SEVEN! That's a new record! That's one more than the six I normally receive! Thank you, my wonderful readers and reviewers! Woot! I'm happy to know that there are people out there who are interested in my story. Well, here's the next chapter in The Story Of A Girl.**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Hm... I have no creative disclaimer ideas, so I'll just be boring and unoriginal today. (clears throat) I... do not own the Teen Titans.**

Ch. 22: Hope

FLASHBACK:

He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he had to admit, her hand looked really cool covered in shimmering silver energy.

"Woah! Rune, how did you do that?" Rune opened her eyes and saw exactly what she had expected; the cut was gone. She smiled slightly to herself due to her achievement, then looked at Sebastian and shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. I just had a feeling that it would work, and I acted on that feeling," she said.

"Well, that's really awesome. What were you feeling when you used that power?" he asked curiously.

"...I'm not sure what to call it. I haven't... I don't know what I was feeling."

"I'm sure you'll name it soon enough. It took me forever to figure out that riteous fury activated my starbolts," Sebastian said with a smile. Rune looked confused for a moment, then voiced her thoughts.

"Were you angry with me...? The first time I went on the training feild with you guys so you could show me your powers, did I...upset you?" She looked away, almost embarrased as she asked Sebastian this question. He held up his hands defensively and shook his head from side to side, his face a blur from the quick movements.

"N-no no! No, you didn't upset me or anything, I just know how to control my emotions, that's all!"

Rune glared mischieviously at him. "And you're saying that I don't?" Sebastian's eyes widened considerably.

"No! No no no no, you misunderstood me! I- I didn't mean that you don't have control over your emotions, because you do! It's just-! I guess I didn't say it the right way, huh? What I meant was more like, I can... use my memories to help me activate my powers."

"Would you mind explaining a little bit more?" Rune asked, turning so her whole body was facing him.

"Okay. Hm... Well, with my starbolts, I need to be really angry, almost furious, to be able to hold them in my hands and be able to throw them. The angrier I am, the more painful my starbolts are to whatever poor soul is unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end. But, I'm not always angry. Infact, it's pretty hard to piss me off.

"So, what I do to use them is think of memories, times when I was indignant or angry for any reason, and I just remember how I felt at that moment in time. After that, I can use them without problems."

Rune let this information sink in, then nodded her head in understanding.

"I understand," She said, after a moment's silence. Sebastian smiled, then glanced at her alarm clock. The glowing yellow numbers read '12:34 A.M.'. He did a double take, then abruptly stood.

"Wow, I had no idea it was this late!" He said. He turned to Rune and smiled. "I should let you get your beauty rest, huh?"

"Are you implying that I'm ugly?" She asked, in a cold yet joking tone. However, Sebastian didn't hear the amusement in her voice, and so got nervous once again.

"No, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant-! You know, as a figure of speech, and sometimes, narcissistic girls will be all like, 'I need my beauty rest', and-!"

"So now you're saying I'm conceited..."

"No! I-! It was-! I meant that-!" Sebastian caught sight of Rune's entertained expression, and did a classic anime sweat drop. "I'll just be going now..." And he left her room, closing the door behind him.

Rune smiled a little, then thought back to when she had healed her arm and the smile faded away into nothing. She got under the covers of her bed and turned off her lamp, then rested her head on the soft pillow.

_'I've only ever felt it once before, at least that I can remember.' _She thought. _'It was when I first met Sebastian, when he helped me gather my books from the ground. For one fleeting instant, I felt it... Hope.'_

End FLASHBACK.

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Sebastian walked side by side with Covyll down the long halls of Titans Tower. The two teens were told to meet Andrew in their private meeting place; a place that no one else but the three of them knew the location of. They made their way to the third floor of the Tower and went down a few random hallways until they reached the door to the fourth meeting room.

There were five meeting rooms in the Tower, each on a different floor. The second meeting room was used most often, given that it was the easiest to find. However the first and third meeting rooms have been used maybe once or twice. No one knew where the fifth meeting room was located, only that it exists.

The two boys walked into the room and took their usual seats at the table; Sebastian at the head, farthest from the door, and Covyll on his left side, the third chair away. Andrew was sitting on Sebastian's right side, second chair from the head.

"It's too bad the blueprints to Titans Tower were stolen and destroyed a few years ago," Covyll said. "If we had them, we might be able to find the fifth room."

"Yeah, that sucks. So, why did you call us here, Andrew?" Sebastian asked. Andrew pulled out a big black briefcase from seemingly nowhere and placed it on the table. He opened it, and pulled out a small stack of white papers.

"It has come to my attention that we haven't been doing our weekly meetings. So, now we must sort through all the paper work and organize our findings, as well as-"

"You called us down here for _work? _That's it, I'm out," Covyll said, standing to leave.

"No, wait. Andrew's right. If we don't do it now, the work will just pile up even more. We should just get it over with," Sebastian said. Covyll glared at him for a moment, then grudgingly sat down once again.

Andrew glared at him. "What'd you just call me?" He demanded. Covyll glared back at him.

"Look, if you don't want to hear me insulting you, then don't listen in on my thoughts! Geeze. You know, for a genius, you're not very bright," He replied, a cold smirk appearing on his face.

Andrew was about to retort, when Sebastian interrupted. "Alright, that is enough! Covyll, that was totally uncalled for; you shouldn't insult your friends like that. Andrew, you and I both know that Covyll is a hot-head-"

"I am not!"

"-so just ignore him. Now, we came here for a reason. Are we just going to waste time arguing, or are we going to actually work? 'Cause if it's the former, I'm leaving."

Covyll and Andrew glanced at each other, then sighed and nodded. Sebastian smiled.

"Alrighty then, let's get to it."

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Rune glanced around the store that Kimi was so excited over, and found that it wasn't all that bad; the clothes were actually things that she'd wear. She looked to her right and saw Selina and Kimi looking at a few blouses, and decided to join them.

"Why did you make me take you to the mall again?" Rune asked.

"Because," Kimi started, "you're the only girl in the Tower who knows where it is."

"...What about Starfire? I'm sure she would have been more than happy to take you."

"She wanted to, but I thought it would be more fun if it was just us three teens hanging out. So we can learn more about each other, y'know?" Rune sighed, then nodded. "Great! Here, go try this on, Selina!" Kimi held out a nice white blouse which was made of a soft fabric. Sleina hesitated. "Oh, come on! It'll look really nice on you, I promise!"

A few minutes later, the two girls were waiting outside the dressing room for Selina.

"How does it look?" Rune called.

"I don't want to come out..." she replied, her naturally quiet voice muffled by the door.

"Pllleeeeeeeaaaaaasse?" Kimi begged. No response. "Okay, then we'll come in and drag you out! Trust me, I can melt the doorknob, and then we'll use my camera phone and take a picture of you in that shirt and send it to Co-"

The door opened. Kimi and Rune looked inside to see Selina standing by the door with a small blush on her face. The blouse fit her perfectly; the sleeves went down to her elbows, hanging loosely, the bottom of the shirt went a few inches below her waist, and the neckline was a small V-neck, stopping two inches past her collar bone.

"Wow! You look great! It fits you perfectly," Kimi said, smiling brightly. Selina blushed more.

"I have to agree, you do look amazing in that shirt," Rune said.

"Th...thank you," Selina said, still a little nervous.

"Perfect! Now we need to find some nice bottoms to go with it, then maybe get you some accessories, and a little eye liner, and some-"

"Woah, what's all this going to be for?" Rune asked.

"Friday night, of course! Andrew said he was taking us out to dinner at a nice restaurant so we could-mmph!" Selina had slammed her hand over Kimi's mouth, and was now silencing her.

"Y-yes, Andrew said he was taking us out to dinner, this Friday night. That's why Kimi wanted to go shopping."

"I see. So much for getting to know each other, then," Rune said. Kimi smiled, rubbing the back of her head as Selina let her go and went to change back into her shirt.

"Well, I _do_ want to get to know you guys, but I also want to shop. So, while we look for the things we need, let's interrogate each other! What are your favorite colors?" Kimi asked, walking over to a rack of skirts.

"I like white," Selina said, following the enthusiastic teen with her white blouse in hand.

"I like blue, black, and silver," Rune answered, also following Kimi around the store.

"And I like green," Kimi said, holding up a skirt to Rune. "Try it on!"

"No."

"Awe, come on! Plleeeeeaaaasse?" Kimi begged.

"No," Rune said, more firmly this time.

"Well you can't go to dinner in _jeans_, even if they are black."

"I think you would look nice in these," Selina said, holding up a pair of smoothe black dress pants made of a soft material. Rune gave a small smile.

"Okay," She said, taking the pants and heading for the dressing room.

Kimi pouted and followed. "Awe, you're no fun! Don't you like dressing up?"

"No." Was the simple reply.

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"Okay, so we've got Kimi, who can use fire. Anyone know how well?" Sebastian asked. The three boys were still in the fourth meeting room, orgainizing their papers and creating files for the new Titans. Sebastian held his pen over the paper as he waited for a response.

"Hm... She told me last night that she's Hot Spot's daughter. She didn't mention her mom, though. Anyway, she said that she can light any part of her body on fire and it doesn't burn her, she can control flames that she did not create, she can melt pretty much any metal with heat, and her normal body temperature is around 134 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Her favorite thing to do with her fire," Andrew continued, as Sebastian filled in the information about Kimi in the appropriate sections on the form, "is molding the flames into different animals while she does this dance, she described it as a ne-"

"Okay, we get it. All we need is her personal information, but please, not _that_ personal," Covyll said.

"He's right," Sebastian agreed. "So, anyone know anything about James?" No response. "...We'll just save that one for later then. Selina?"

"Rune told Andrew and me about that this morning while you were sleeping. Selina can become invisible," Sebastian began writing, "defy the laws of gravity-"

"We don't have specific examples on that one yet," Andrew added.

"-and cut almost anything with her claws. We don't know who her parents are, only that she is related to James."

"And she lived in New York City with him before responding to Changeling's ad," Andrew said.

"Okay, and lastly, Rune," Sebastian said. "The only information we need to add is her powers, so-"

"But she doesn't have any," Covyll pointed out.

"Yes she does. She can heal," Sebastian said. After receiving looks from Andrew and Covyll, he explained what happened the other night in Rune's room, leaving out the parts of him making a total fool of himself.

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Rune was in the dressing room, wearing the black dress pants Selina had suggested along with a pale, baby blue blouse that Kimi had found. She looked pretty, she had thought for a second.

You look wonderful! That outfit is awesome!

_'...Thank you.'_

**Unknown: **I hope someone _else_ we all know thinks so, too...

_'That's not Smarty, Fear, or Sadness. Who are you?'_

**Unknown: **I am Hope, your wishful thinking, at your service.

_'Oh. And who were you talking about, "someone _else"

**Hope: **(giggling) You know who I'm talking about.

_'Uh, no I don't?'_

**Hope: **Yes. You do. You'll figure it out eventually!

_'...Whatever.'_

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By the end of the day, the girls had all bought one outfit each, along with some make-up and accessories. They had agreed to help each other get ready on Friday; Rune and Selina really needed the help, seeing as how Selina had never worn make-up, and Rune had only worn it once during her mission.

**Eh, not one of my favorite chapters (although it's certainly one of my longest). But it has important information in it, so I hope you were paying attention! Anyway, school has started up again, so I will be busy, but hopefully I'll still update every six days, like I normally do. Alas, school is also starting again for Miss Rune! What will happen to her, now that she will be separated from her only friends? Find out next time!**

**---Later!**


	23. Spoken

**Yay! Thank you for the reviews, people. Here's the next chapter. I hope I don't have any typos-- I couldn't check, so sorry if I do. Please read and review. I hope you like it!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Titans.**

Ch. 23: Spoken

Three days had passed since Hope appeared. It was now Friday, and all the teens were gathered in the garage, ready to leave. The boys were all wearing nice black pants with a different colored shirt each; black for James, red for Sebastian, white for Andrew, and purple for Covyll. Rune was wearing her black dress pants and a light blue blouse, Kimi was wearing a dark green skirt that went to her knees and an off-white blouse, and Selina was wearing a dark blue skirt that went to her mid-calves and the white blouse she had tried on at the mall.

"Are we all ready to go?" Andrew asked, opening the T-car's driver seat door. There was a breif silence before Rune decided to break it.

"Um... How are the seven of us all going to fit in the T-car?"

"Well, four can fit uncomfortably in the back-"

"Shotgun!" Kimi yelled out.

"-and Kimi's up front with me. So I guess one of you can sit on someone's lap," Andrew said.

Covyll smirked. "Well, Selina's the youngest, not to mention the lightest; I have no problem letting her sit on my lap for the half hour 'til we get to the restaurant."

Selina immediately blushed while James glared at Covyll and the rest rolled their eyes. As James kept his intensly evil glare upon Covyll, Andrew looked at the former with fright.

"U-uh Covyll? I-I really, _really_ think that would be a bad idea," Andrew said.

"And why is that?" Covyll asked with a hint of annoyance.

Andrew looked at James, who nodded slightly, as though giving permission for something.

"Well... Let's just say that... _bad things will happen_ if you keep hitting on Selina."

"What kind of things?" Sebastian asked curiously, almost eagerly.

"...I'd rather not say..."

Covyll sighed. "Well, should she sit on _James's_ lap, then?" This statment was followed by an akward silence and more hateful glaring.

"...How about we just let her sit on Rune's lap?" Sebastian suggested. James did not seem to have any problems with this, and Covyll was smirking pervertedly. Rune and Selina, however, did not like this idea. Unfortunately, that's what ended up happening.

James sat in the left passenger seat, Rune sat next to him with Selina on her lap, Sebastian sat next to her, and Covyll sat next to him. Andrew was driving, and Kimi was up front.

With the start of the engine, they drove out of the garage and flew over the water until they reached the city streets. James stared out of his window and completely ignored the conversations.

"So, what restaurant are we going to, Andrew?" Rune asked.

"It's a place that a friend of mine owns. He's letting us eat for free for tonight, since it's a special occasi- um! Since I know him and there are so many of us! Yeah, that's it..."

"Uh huh. So what's the special occasion?" Rune asked.

"What could be more special than going out and having dinner with your six closest friends?" Sebastian said.

"Hn."

_'Yep. They're definately hiding something. But what?'_

**Hope: **Maybe it's a suprise for you!

_'...Why would they do-?'_

Oh, just chill out and relax. Have fun! You won't be able to talk to anyone once you go back to school, you know. Enjoy this while it lasts.

**Fear: **They're going to forget you, I just know it.

**Sadness: **No! I don't want her to be forgotten! (crying noises)

Rune's eye twitched in irritation as she tried to ignore the annoying voices in her head.

They're not going to forget her! Even if they tried to, they wouldn't be able to for years.

**Sadness: **Then they're going to_ try _to forget her! (more crying)

**Hope: **No, I don't think they'd do that. They're nice people, they wouldn't be so cold. At least, I really _hope_ not...

**Fear: **But what if-?

_'Oh my goodness, do you four EVER stop talking? They're not going to forget me, they're not going to try, they are nice people, and I will still be able to talk to them when school starts on Monday. Now SHUT the hell UP!'_

The emotions went silent.

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After a half an hour of crowded, noisy, and gruesome torture (but Andrew won't tell anyone what's been on James's mind, no matter how horrific), they finally arrived at the restaurant.

"Here we are, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to AoS, one of the best restaurants in Jump," Andrew said, parking the car in the lot and turning it off. Everyone got out quickly and walked the quarter-mile distance to the entrance.

"W-what does 'AoS' s-stand for?" Selina asked, pointing to the neon blue letters above the doors.

"Hm... I don't really know. Ryan hasn't told me yet," Andrew answered.

"Oh."

They went inside and found a table, then sat waiting for the waiter. The seating at the circular table was as follows: James, Selina, Andrew, Kimi, Sebastian, Covyll, and then Rune. It didn't take long before their waiter came.

"Hey there, Andrew," the woman said with a smile on her face. "We haven't seen you around here for ages!"

"Oh hey, Tara!" Andrew replied happily. (A/N Not 'Terra' from the show.) "You're still working here? I thought you were moving to New NYC?"

"I live there now, but I'm working here during the summer. Okay, enough small talk, what can I get you guys?"

They ordered their drinks and appetizers, then started a conversation once Tara went away.

"Soo, what's up?" Covyll asked. Everyone stared at him. "...What? I don't know how to start a conversation! Someone else do it, then."

"Okay..." Andrew looked at James, horrified. "What?" he exclaimed. "No way! Aren't you supposed to be a _hero_?" James glared at him; Andrew's eyes widened. "N-no no! I- I didn't mean it like-...! It was just-...! _You are scary as hell!"_

James smirked sinisterly.

"Yeah, yeah, 'compliements'... Just don't come anywhere near my bedroom."

Selina was laughing softly, while the other four were trying to make sense of the conversation Andrew and James apparently had in James's mind. But, since Selina was laughing, they figured it wasn't anything too serious.

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An hour later, after eating, flirting, glaring, laughing, and other random things, they all just sat around the table, content for the moment. Andrew looked at Sebastian, who looked at Covyll, who looked at Kimi, who nodded. Andrew reached under the table and pulled out a large black photo album.

"Hey, Rune, this is for you," he handed her the book from across the table, "from all of us. It's a going away present-- Cyborg and I invented it!"

Rune looked at the cover of the book. There were the signatures of all the adult Titans that Rune had met, and small messages from each of the teenagers. With a small, suprised smile on her face, Rune opened the book to the first page; a song that she didn't recognize started playing. She saw that there were touch-sensitive controls just below the pages, with a 'play/pause' button, a 'stop' button, and a 'manual' button. There was also a small rectangular screen which showed the name of the song, and the artist who created it; the current song was "Safari" by Bombay Dr.

"Who's 'Bombay Dr.'?" Rune asked.

"Were not quite sure. We took some old CDs from my mom's room," Sebastian said, "and transferred them to Andrew's computer."

"Then we turned them into song files and uploaded them into Cyborg's creation," Covyll said.

"Then we got everyone to sign it and leave you a message, and viola! One awesome photo album," Andrew finished. Rune smiled.

"Thank you."

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They had spent nearly an hour and a half at AoS, and were currently walking the quarter-mile distance to the T-car. As they left the restaurant, Covyll kept hitting on Selina, which really embarrassed Selina and irked James, so he pulled her away from him and made her walk ahead. A few minutes later, Covyll made to pass by James and get to Selina, but the silent brother had other plans.

James held out his arm forcefully, and stopped Covyll from moving. He stood in front of him with his back to the rest of the group; they all stopped to see what would happen.

"I've had enough of this," James said, suprising everyone. His voice was quiet and hate-filled, and everyone could hear it clearly. Selina looked frightened. _Very _frightened. "Stay _away _from my sister," he demanded threateningly. Covyll glared at him.

"And what will you do if I don't?" he challenged.

"I'll kill you." By the tone of his voice, everyone could tell that he was dead serious, but Covyll wasn't one to back away from a fight.

"Bring it on, psycho! I'll kick your ass!"

"Ah-uh, Covyll?" Andrew started. "I don't think that's such a-"

"As you wish," James interrupted darkly.

James quickly extended his right arm out at his side, his hand clenched into a fist; Covyll held his arms up, ready to block any attacks. The former held Covyll's eyes with his own as his right arm went straight up, then down and foreward in one fluid-like motion, almost as though he was throwing something.

Selina's eyes widened, and she yelled for James to stop, but he paid her no mind.

"Blades of Death!" he yelled out.

**Haha! James has finally spoken! Yay! And now you've heard what his attack is, but what will happen? Who will win the fight? Why is Selina so afraid? Why am I asking you all of this when you don't know the answer? Hm... I dunno. BUT, I do want you to make some guesses on James's powers, and why Selina is so afraid.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**---Later!**


	24. Blessings

**Thank you for the reviews, kind people of FanFiction! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. A note: I have never been to medical school, so don't bite my head off if I get something wrong in this chapter. I looked up what I know online, so please excuse my ignorance on this topic. Have fun reading!**

**---Jaime**

**Hypothermia: A medical condition in which the victim's core body temperature has dropped to signifigantly below normal.**

**I got my information from Wikipedia.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans (eh, I feel like being unoriginal again).**

Ch. 24: Blessings

"Blades of Death!" James yelled out. Without warning, Covyll was pushed back by an invisible force, his clothes and skin being torn randomly in the process.

Andrew and Sebastian didn't know what was happening, but they knew that James was seriously trying to kill Covyll. They ran at him from behind, hoping to catch him off guard, only to be thrown back by the same invisible force that hit Covyll. They, however, weren't scratched; they were only thrown out of the way.

Kimi tried to help Covyll by throwing an array of fire balls at James, only to have them miss by a mile.

"What the-? I never miss! What's going on here?" She demanded.

James unclenched his hand and the attacks stopped immediately. Now, he closed his eyes and held his hands flat against each other in front of his chest, as if in prayer. While Covyll was still catching his breath, James opened his eyes and thrust his palms towards his prey, making Covyll fly backwards through the air about ten yards.

"James! P-please, don't!" Selina cried out, tears forming in her eyes. James's own eyes softened slightly and he put his arms back down to his sides. For his sister's sake, he was going to walk away. But Covyll wouldn't have any of that...

"Alright, you got the first couple of shots," he said, standing up and facing his opponent, "but I'm still gonna kick your ass!"

At once, James's glare returned. "You are in way over your head," he said coldly.

"Oh really? We'll just have to see about that."

"If you insist..." James said, crossing his arms.

Andrew and Sebastian finally made it back over to the others after being knocked back.

"You guys okay?" Rune asked, recieving nods in response. "Oh good. I thought you would've gotten hurt much worse, what with you being blown around like that."

"Blown around...?" Andrew gasped. "That's it, isn't it? James can control the _wind_, can't he?" Selina nodded. "Ha ha! I figured it out!"

"But how did _wind_ slice through clothing and skin?" Sebastian asked. Everyone looked to Selina for an answer.

"...W-well, I'm really not sure... He's al-always been able to..."

Back with Covyll and James, the former was looking around for some sort of liquid that he could use for an attack.

_'There aren't any puddles, drinks, water fountains- damn! Why couldn't it be winter?' _He yelled in his head. _'Alright, think, Covyll, think! Let's see...'_ A small smirk appeared on his face. _'It's worth a shot.'_

Covyll shot his arm straight up towards the sky while looking at the clouds that were floating lazily by. After a few seconds, rain began to fall from the sky in front of him, and the clouds began to disappear. Looking back at James, he made the water surround his enemy in an egg shape. Then, just like he did with Andrew, he froze the water, trapping James inside.

"Hah! Take that!" He yelled out in victory. James glared, and Covyll was lifted up hundreds of feet into the air. "What the-?" Suddenly he was falling through the sky, the ground coming closer and closer. "AAAAHHHHHHH!"

"COVYLL!" Everyone minus James yelled. Andrew quickly flew towards his friend and caught him just seconds before he hit the ground. Once he was back on solid ground, his heart started beating again.

"...Ho...ly...crap. How...the hell...did he do that?" Covyll asked, motioning to James, who was still trapped in the ice.

"You two are no match for each other," Kimi said. "He can control the wind, and you can control the water. You're tied."

"I beat him, though."

"Oi! You would've died if I didn't come and save you!" Andrew said.

Covyll was about to retort when Selina grabbed everyone's attention.

"James!" She cried out, running to her brother and placing her hands on the ice. James was on his knees, clutching his chest with his hands. Selina was crying as she turned to Covyll. "P-please! Please let him out! He's go-going to die!"

Covyll's facial expression saddened as he saw Selina crying. Almost reluctantly, he turned the ice to water and watched as Selina ran to her brother, holding him and trying to warm him up. He was shivering badly and hyperventilating, and it seemed like he was having trouble sitting up.

"We have to get him back to the Tower," Rune said seriously. "It could very well be hypothermia." Andrew nodded in agreement, also noticing that James was showing some of those signs.

Sebastian notified the adults with his communicator that they were on their way home, and that they should get the infirmary ready for James. Rune and Andrew were telling the others to carefully and slowly get James into the back seat and lie him down, then to have Kimi very slowly heat his body. Selina, Kimi, and Rune were in the back on the floor, taking care of James. Sebastian was driving, and Covyll was in the front passenger seat; Andrew was flying beside the car.

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Rune and Kimi were in the main room comforting Selina, while Nightwing asked about what happened. They had arrived back at the Tower nearly twenty minutes ago and put James in the infirmary. Starfire and Cyborg said that he would be fine, but he needed to rest and have an eye kept on him. Selina was happy that he was going to be okay, but she was still scared that he could have died.

"-and so, yeah... That's what happened," Andrew said. The three boys had just finished explaining to Nightwing, Cyborg, Changeling, Starfire, and Aqua Lad (who had been waiting for Covyll to come back when they got the call) what had happened. Needless to say, the adult Titans were more than upset.

"You almost killed him over a _girl?_" Aqua Lad yelled. Covyll winced.

"Well he never even let me go near her! He treated me like the enemy!" Covyll retorted angrily.

"She's his baby sister, for crying out loud! Of _course_ he's going to be overprotective! And you know, you didn't help much either. Did you even ask his permission to go after her?" Selina blushed at these comments.

"Ask permission? What am I, _four_?"

"Covyll," Starfire started, "you need to understand the seriousness of this situation. The two of you almost killed each other. Think about it-- if your friends had not been there, first _you_ would have died after hitting the ground, then _James_ would have frozen to death."

"Or, if you six hadn't gotten James here as fast as you did, you could have been charged with murder, if Selina pressed charges," Nightwing said.

"Actually, both of them could still be taken to court. Attempted murder sucks just as badly," Changeling said.

"What we're trying to say, Covyll," Cyborg started, "is that the two of you should just talk all this out."

"How am I supposed to do that when he's so-?"

"Do you honestly think he's going to walk up to you and say, 'Hey, I'm tired of all this fighting over my sister- wanna call a truce?'? Seriously, Covyll, sometimes _you _have to be the one to make the first move," Rune said.

"And asking Selina for advice on how to deal with her brother wouldn't hurt, you know," Kimi added.

Covyll sighed in defeat.

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The room was dark, the only light sources not enough to see by. A few buttons and bulbs were glowing on a computer a few feet away, some making random beeping sounds every now and then. James lie in the warm bed in the infirmary, enjoying the darkness and solitude while he could. He knew that any minute now, one of those 'Titans' would come and check on him, making sure he was still alive.

_'Or checking to see if I'm dead yet,' _he reminded himself bitterly.

And he was right, for a second later, the infirmary door opened to reveal a tall, shadowed figure. He knew it was male by it's outline, he just couldn't tell-

"Hey."

_'Hm. What's he doing _here?'

James didn't reply, just as Covyll had expected, so the latter sat down in the chair next to his bed. A few minutes passed, neither teen saying anything. The only sounds that could be heard were their breathing and the light beeping of the machines working around them. Finally, Covyll couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked. James rose a brow at this question, and looked at Covyll curiously. He thought about ignoring him, like he'd always done before, but instead decided to answer, just to see his reaction.

"Because you are an arrogant ass who isn't good enough for my sister," he responded monotonously. Covyll glared at him.

"What? I'm not good enough for-? How so?" He asked a little angrily.

Again, James thought about ignoring him, or perhaps using his wind to throw him out of the room. But he thought for a moment about whether or not Covyll might understand his motives. After a brief pause, he again chose to answer the question.

"You can't protect her."

Now Covyll was mad. How dare this guy underestimate his ability to protect someone? Oh, now it was on.

"Oi! I'm strong enough to keep her safe! No one would be able to touch a hair on her head on my watch!"

Again it was silent as James debated whether or not to keep talking. But, he thought, if Covyll wanted his sister so badly, he needed to prove himself worthy enough, strong enough, _good_ enough.

"...I have no doubts that you can protect her from physical harm," he said in his dark voice, "but can you protect her heart?" No response. "Hn. Just as I thought. You wouldn't be able to understand us. Understand _her_."

"Well then-"

"Think," James interrupted. "What would you do if someone was harrassing her? If someone was calling her a freak, or if someone was asking her how much ten bucks could get them, what would you do?"

"I'd kill them! No one talks to-"

"Wrong." Covyll stared at James, confused. Why shouldn't he kill someone for treating her like that? This guy was making no sense! So, Covyll did the only thing he could think to do. He glared at James.

"Why? I should just sit back and _watch?_ Fat chance!"

James sighed. _'He really doesn't get it, does he? That's the other reason I don't want him near her-- he's an idiot.'_

"Selina doesn't like violence. If I had killed everyone who ever hurt her feelings, half of New York's population would be destroyed. She can't be with someone who solves everything with threats and pain."

It was suprising to Covyll to hear these things come out of James's mouth. Hadn't Andrew told them that James had horrifying thoughts of blood and gore about Covyll? Regardless, he needed to get on his good side, no matter how evil he was.

"Then what?"

"...Just be there."

_'Hm. Why am I talking to him? I only ever say this much to Selina. Is he even worth it? Heh, I doubt it. He's strong enough, he's able, he just needs to be aware. Maybe...just maybe...'_

They sat in silence for nearly a half an hour while Covyll though about their conversation, which was perfectly fine with James; he enjoyed the quiet. Covyll was glad that they had finally gotten a chance to talk, and decided to make the first move, as Rune had suggested.

"Hey... I'm sorry about earlier...with the ice and all..."

"Hn." Covyll stood and walked to the door. As he was about to close it behind him, James spoke again. "Covyll," he started. Covyll froze and looked over his shoulder at the teen. "If you hurt my sister, no matter how much she hates violence, I promise that I will kill you."

Covyll smirked. "Don't worry."

"I never do."

**How was that? I'm happy about this chapter. Although, James spoke more than I wanted him to, but it was the only way to make this chapter work out how I had planned. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please leave a review on your way out. Thanks!**

**---Later!**


	25. Home

**Holy crap! Eight reviews! That's one more than seven! Sweet! Thank you, to all of you who reviewed, and for those of you who didn't, well... thanks for reading this, at least! I hope you guys like this chapter. And guess what? It's my birthday! It's my birthday! Oh yeah! I am officially 14 years old! (bows to a clapping audience) Thank you! Thank you everyone! lol.**

**Okay, no more stalling. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: The Titans aren't mine. Pft. Who would want to own a bunch of teenage super-heroes, anyway? ...TT I would! (cries)**

Ch. 25: Home

It was a bright Saturday morning in Jump City. The citizens of the city were all outside, enjoying their days off from work and school, while hanging out at the beach or going to the movies. Yes, everyone was happy, or at the very least, content. Everyone, that is, except the teenagers of Titans Tower.

Rune Falle was in her bedroom on this sunny morning, filling her bags with her belongings. It didn't take her long to do, seeing as how she didn't bring all that much with her when she came two months ago. It was so hard for her to believe that she had already spent two months living here; the time had flown by so quickly. She folded her clothes and tried not to think about her situation much, hoping she could just forget about it all until next summer when she could hopefully stay for good.

**Sadness: (sniff) I d-don't want to forget them! (crying)**

_'Am I the only person who thinks it's weird to have someone you can't see crying in your head?' _She thought absently, as she finished packing her clothes and moved on to her other things.

Don't try to change the subject, Smarty said. Why would you ever want to forget these people? They were so kind to you. It would be very cruel to just leave and never look back.

_'I can't afford to look back. I've gotten soft over the summer, and do you know how much I'm going to pay for it in my senior year of high school on Monday?'_

**Hope: **You haven't gotten soft, Rune. Who knows? Maybe the kids at school will leave you alone this year.

_'Yeah, and maybe Yuho will learn how to speak German and play the accordian,' _Rune thought sourly.

Hm. I don't think you've gotten softer, Rune. You've just gotten more emotional, Smarty said, a hint of irony hidden in her words. In any case, this year you'll have us to help you out. If those kids bother you like they did last year, you can yell at them, just like you've done to Covyll, Andrew, and Sebastian! I'm sure that we can find a way to scare them so badly, they'll never mess with you again! At this point, Smarty began her evil laughter, scaring Fear and disturbing Rune.

_'...Right. Well, thanks for at least _trying_ to make me feel better. It worked a little... I think.'_

And so Rune continued to gather all of her things from her room in the Tower, making sure not to leave anything behind. When she was finished, her suitcase, three shopping bags, and her new black back pack (which she bought for the new school year) were full. She sighed and slung the back pack over her shoulder, then held the three bags on one arm and her suitcase in the other hand.

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"Are you ready to go, Rune?" Raven asked. Everyone was gathered outside at the main entrance, waiting to see Rune off. All of her stuff was piled by a large boulder, waiting to be taken home.

"...Yeah. Yes, I'm ready," she responded.

"We'll see you next summer, Rune," Kimi said with a smile.

"'Summer'? Oh no no no, my lady. We shall visit our damsel during school breaks in winter and spring!" Andrew said. "Fear not, m'lady, for your army of brave knights shall never forget you!" Kimi coughed slightly. "And your fellow princesses! They shan't forget about you, either!" He finished with a flourished bow.

"Um...yeah okay, whatever. I think what he's trying to say is goodbye," Covyll said. "So yeah. Bye," he said akwardly, which was unusual for him.

"We'll miss you, Rune," Selina said softly. James, who was let out of the infirmary earlier this morning, nodded slightly in agreement. Rune smiled.

And finally, there was Sebastian. "Well, Rune, have fun in your senior year." Covyll chose this time to smack his friend in the head. "Ow! What was _that_ for?" he asked angrily.

"The girl is leaving for a little over nine months, and all you can think to say is _'have fun in your senior year'_?" Covyll asked. Sebastian looked away, mumbling incoherently to himself.

While the teenagers said their goodbyes, the adults said theirs.

"Hey, Raven, you should visit us more often," Changeling said.

"BB's right," Cyborg agreed, "we miss you, girl." Raven gave a rare smile, then an even rarer hug to her two friends.

"I missed you, too," she admitted, letting go. "Don't worry, I'm not going to disappear again."

"We'd find you even if you did," Nightwing said with a smirk.

"Yeah, probably. Well, we'll be going now," she said.

"Goodbye, Raven and Rune!" Starfire said.

"Bye," Rune said.

Raven used her powers to gather her daughter's bags and encircled the two of them with black energy. Without hesitation, the black energy took the shape of a giant raven and flew away, heading for Raya City.

Andrew sighed. "I'll miss having her around."

"Yeah...me too," Sebastian agreed.

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Rune and Raven had arrived home safely, and the former went straight to her room to unpack. Unsuprisingly, she found that it was the exact same way as she left it, but it had been kept dust-free. With a small sigh, she placed her bags on her bed and began to unpack.

_'I'm going to miss the Tower. It was so huge; my apartment feels like a cardboard box in comparison. Whatever. I'll just have to get back to my normal routine--wake up, have tea, go to school, ignore the B.L.O.N.D.E.S.es, come home, do homework, go online, go to sleep; rinse and repeat.'_

Wow, your life is boring.

_'Tell me about it.'_

**Hope: **What are the 'Blondes'?

_'B.L.O.N.D.E.S.es. That's my name for all of the people at school who harrass me. It stands for 'Bitchy Lusting Obnoxious Neurotic Demented Emotional Sluts', because the majority of them are.'_

Smarty laughed. Wow, that's pretty clever.

_'Thanks.'_

Rune had finished putting her clothes away and was now unpacking her other belongings. She put away her hair brush, tooth brush, tooth paste, mirror, shoes, pillow, and CDs. She also put her books on her shelf, her DVDs in the living room, and set up Yuho's stuff on her floor. Now the only thing left to put away was her photo album.

_'...Maybe I'll just take a look at this for a while; I have nothing better to do.'_

She lied down on her stomach on her bed and opened the book, immediately greeted by Bombay Dr.'s "Safari".

**"**We are going on a safari

See the lions from my ferrari

Hope we do not get the malari,

It's safari time.**"**

While the rest of the song continued, Rune looked at the pictures in the album. The first page was decorated with triangles and squares, which were randomly placed on the paper. In the center was a group shot of the seven teens that Cyborg had taken only two days ago.

**FLASHBACK:**

It was Thursaday afternoon at the Tower, and the sun was just begining to set. The seven teens of Titans Tower were standing together, waiting for Cyborg to take a group shot of them. Covyll had his left arm around a blushing Selina's shoulders and was smirking suggestively. James was glaring with murderous intent at the teen, ready to kill in order to protect his little sister. Andrew and Kimi were next to them, with their arms linked together as they sung a song to the tune of "We're Off To See The Wizard". Rune and Sebastian stood to the left of them, laughing a little at how funny this all would look to a passerby.

"We're gonna take a picture,

The best little picture of all.

Of all the other pictures in the world

This one will be the bestest one!

"Oh yes, we're gonna take a picture,

The best little picture of all.

Of all the other pictures in the world,

This one will be the greatest one of all!"

"Do you think they're high?" Sebastian asked, talking about Andrew and Selina. Rune smirked.

"Nah, I think they're just drunk," she said, pointing to the couple who had just fallen backwards and begun laughing.

"Alright, y'all," Cyborg said, readying the camera, "say cheese!"

**SNAP!**

End FLASHBACK.

Rune smiled a little at the memory, and looked back at the picture. Covyll and James were stuck in a glaring contest with Selina blushing in the background, Kimi and Andrew were still on the ground laughing when the picture was taken, and Rune stood next to them with Sebastian, acting sane.

She turned the page and saw more random pictures. Most of them were pictures of two or three people, some were group shots, and some were just of one person. As she got two thirds the way through with the book, the song changed. She looked down at the screen and saw "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior in glowing yellow letters.

_'Another group from over a decade ago,' _she thought.

Well, they did say they got the songs from Starfire's music collection.

**"**Don't stop, don't stop the feet

Won't stop, won't stop the beat and GO!

**"**Everybody, move your feet and feel united, ohohoh!

Everybody, move your feet and feel united, ohohoh!**"**

Rune looked back at the page she was on and saw that it had five pictures of Andrew and herself on it. Around the pictures he had written her a message.

_"Hey, Rune!_

_I hope you have fun at your school this year. And if you don't, well then...huh, I don't have anything creative to say. Has hell frozen over! This is impossible! I always know what to say! (sigh) Oh well. If things don't go well at school, you can always call me via communicator and chat about it._

_See you soon!_

_Andrew Stone"_

Rune gave a sad smile and turned the page. The one on the left had five pictures and a note from Selina, and the one on the right had the same for James. First she read Selina's note, which was written in fluid-like handwriting.

_"Hello, Rune._

_I didn't know you for very long, but I will miss you; you're really a cool person to be around. I look forward to seeing you again, and hopefully sometime soon. Please don't start getting depressed about leaving. I don't know if you would, but just incase... Just remember that you should never start frowning, because you never know who's falling in love with your smile._

_Sincerely,_

_Selina Matthews"_

Awe, Selina's such a sweet girl. Rune wordlessly agreed and proceeded to read James's note.

_"Hello._

_I never talked to you, I don't know anything about you, and I'm not your friend, so I can't say anything such as, _"Have fun at school," _or _"I'll miss you"_. What I can say, though, is that you are an interesting person. You are closed up, like I am, but unlike me, you are kind. I enjoyed being around you in Titans Tower, and I will enjoy the day we meet again._

_Sincerely,_

_James Matthews"_

After reading his note, she felt a little confused. He had never spoken to her, never spent time alone with her, never given any indication that he even knew she existed, but now he writes a note to her? A _kind_ note? This was too weird to her. But still, she thought, it was thoughtful of him to leave her a note in the album.

Turn the page! I want to see the other notes, too!

Rune sighed in annoyance but obliged and turned the page. On the left side was Kimi's personalized page, and on the right side was Covyll's. On Kimi's page, the note was written in hot pink, unlike the silver color of the others' ink.

_"Hey, girl!_

_I am really going to miss you! You are such a cool person to be around! Although, you should show off your curves a bit more, Rune--believe me, you are HOT! I can't wait until school is over, that way you can come live back at the Tower for good! Hope you have fun this year!_

_Love ya!_

_Kimi Platt"_

_"Yo._

_Take care of yourself at school. Sebastian told Andrew and me about how that blonde whore pushed you down the stairs when you first met him. You're a Titan now; stick up for yourself. If someone tries to hurt you, kick their asses! I know you can, too; you've done it to me plenty of times. And if all else fails, call us--we'll be there in a heartbeat. Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. _(1)

_Later-_

_Covyll Ikira"_

Rune was a bit suprised that Sebastian had told his friends what happened with Cassidy, and even more suprised that Covyll cared enough to offer help. Her vision became blurred for a few minutes before she gained control of herself and her emotions again; she did not let a single tear fall. Instead, she smiled and tuned the page.

The last page was Sebastian's. Rune looked at the pictures on his page and her heart skipped a beat, which confused her greatly.

_'Why would I have that kind of a reaction?' _She thought. _'What does that mean? He's my...my friend; they all are. I've never had a reaction like that when I was around him, so why now? _(mental sigh) _Whatever. What does his note say?'_

She looked down at the album again and saw that Sebastian's note was very short; only one line. Slightly disappointed, she read.

_"Lighten up and live life like there was no tomorrow, because it looks like you live a lonely life._

_Stay cool,_

_Sebastian Grayson"_

He's right, you know. You've smiled more yesterday and today than you have since...forever!

**Unknown: **No... she smiled... when she was younger...

_'Who are you?'_

**Unknown: **I am your loneliness.

**Sadness: **(crying) You're already depressed! Your friends will be so disappointed when they find out! Waaaahh!

Huh. And shut up, Sadness! Rune, you're not depressed. So, why did this emotion suddenly-?

**Loneliness: **No. I have been with Rune ever since...ever since she was first betrayed, when she was eight...

_'And you never bothered to say anything because...?'_

**Loneliness:** ...I... ...Nevermind.

For the remainder of the morning, Rune, Smarty, and Hope continued trying to get Loneliness to speak again, however nothing that they did worked. After a while, Rune left the emotion alone and continued looking through her album. The third song that her book played, she later found out, was "Kung Fu Fighting" by Fatboy Slim.

**Wow, that was a really long chapter. I think it was mainly because of all the dialogue, though. There was more I wanted to add, but it'd just be too long! And I didn't want those songs to be double-spaced. (sigh) Oh well. Okay, for that little number one (1) I put, that quote is from Robert Frost, but in the story we're saying that Covyll made it up. And just to make sure I don't end up getting sued, I never own any of the songs or bands in this story unless I say I do. And FYI, the song "We're Gonna Take A Picture" was written by me, so I own it. **

**Okay, so I hope you enjoyed this rather long chapter, leave me a review, and have a nice day! (Or night, depending on when you read this).**

**---Later!**


	26. Surviving HELL

**I'm so happy that I can't speak. TEN REVIEWS! It's a NEW new record! Thank you very much, guys, for reviewing. Now, without further delay, I bring you the next chapter in Rune's life.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I cannot truthfully say that I own the Teen Titans and/or Red X...or Naruto.**

Ch. 26: Surviving HELL

**Beep! Beep! Beep! Be-!**

Rune awoke easily and turned off the annoying alarm clock on her night stand, the yellow lights reading '4:30 A.M.'. With a small yawn, she pushed the covers away and slid tiredly out of her bed, heading for her blue-themed bathroom. Once there, she began her normal routine; brush har, brush teeth, wash face, and leave. After that, she went back to her bedroom and to her closet. She glared at the outfits she saw, for a lot of them were uniforms.

Apparently, her school spontaneously decided to force all of their students to wear different uniforms while she was away, since some parents were complaining about how slutty the skirts had been. She pulled out the new required female outfit; it was a white, short-sleeved blouse and a knee-length green skirt; they had decided to get rid of the ties, as well. Rune scowled. She didn't simply _dislike_ skirts, she _detested _them. But when has she ever broken the rules before? With a defeated sigh, she removed her pajamas and slipped into the uniform. At the very least, it was made of a comfortable material.

_'Woopadie-doo,' _she thought bitterly.

Once that was done, she grabbed her previously packed back pack and left her room. She walked down the short hallway and into the kitchen, immediately putting her bag on the counter and looking for the cat food. Yuho, having heard her buzzing around, jumped onto the table and watched Rune with curiosity, his head tilted to the left a little. Rune found his food and went over to his bowl on the floor -with Yuho in hot pursuit- to fill it. After that was done, she walked down the hallway, past her room, past her parents' room, and into their office.

It was a well-kept room, with white walls and a large window with light pink curtains. Rune looked outside of the window and noticed that from it she could see the bench she normally sat on to wait for the bus. And even though the sun had yet to rise, she could see that the skies were perfectly clear. She turned away from it and went over to her mother's computer, which was already on. Without further delay, she went online.

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The bus ride to school had gone by uneventfully, and Rune listened to music from her fully-charged laptop all the way there. As she made her way to an empty section in the large auditorium, she could feel the stares of the other students on her, and she knew all too well what they were thinking. She decided to ignore them, however, and found a comfortable seat on the left side of the aisle near the middle.

_'Okay, my schedule is homeroom, Art, Geometry, foreign language, English, Physics, Reading, History, and Study Hall. Well, at least I have a study hall at the end of the day; I'll be able to do all my homework there.'_

That's the spirit! Find the good things about coming back to school, and you'll be happier about it. Well... content, anyway.

**Hope: **I have a good feeling that things will go well on your first day, Rune.

**Loneliness: **...Are you kidding? ...You haven't seen what's happened...what's _going_ to happen ...But you will...sooner than you may think...

Rune sighed, half in annoyance, half in agreement. _'She's right. Just wait, and by the end of the day, you'll see what'll happen.'_

**Fear: **Will bad things happen? I don't want that!

**Sadness: **I'm sorry! It's all my fault! Just kill me and everything will be fine for you, okay, Rune? Go on! Get rid of me! I can clearly see that you want to! (crying) I just want to die!

Well aren't _you_ guys just the cheeriest bunch in town?

_'Oi. Cowardice and Clinically Insane, shut the hell up. And it's not even _possible_ to kill you guys, so don't ask!'_

Actually, it is. If you stop feeling any one of them for a prolonged amount of time, they could just disappear. But not me; you can't lose your intelligence. Unless you get in a serious accident, of course.

Not too long after this conversation ended, the large room became loud with the dull roar of the other students. From her place in the room, she could hear many conversations going on, most, if not all, of which she couldn't care less about. So she ignored them, as she had done many times before, and pulled out a book.

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_"Hey Falle, watch where you're going," a tenth grader said cruelly as he purposely bumped into her._

_"And so her dad was all li-" a glare in her direction, then, "Come on, girls. We don't want to be contaminated by such a _freak_." And the small group of giggling girls walked away._

_"Ms. Falle, if it's not too much to ask, would you mind focusing on what I'm saying, rather than being lost in your own little world?" Mrs. Jay, Rune's physics teacher, said in a cold tone. The class sniggered._

_"Hey, Falle! Is it true that your mother's pregnant with the bastard son of a man-whore?" Some random kid that Rune had never met called to her over the rush of the hallway commotion. And, of course, _everyone_ had to stop and stare._

_"Bitch! Watch where you're going! These shoes are worth more than your life, you little slut!" Tiffany Ltaif said, as she pushed Rune onto the ground in the hall._

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Rune sat in her study hall, shaking those thoughts from her mind, and instead concentrated on the story she was reading via laptop. Smarty was having an argument with Hope about whether or not Rune should tell someone about what happened -and will continue to happen- at her school. Hope was praying that the teens would see the error of their ways, or just leave her alone; Smarty said that was illogical thinking. Ignoring them -she sure had been doing a lot of that today- Rune continued reading the story until a window popped up saying she had a new e-mail.

_'Hm. It's from..._Andrew?_ Okay then...'_

She opened the e-mail with slight hesitation, then read its contents.

_"Hey, Rune!_

_Shouldn't you be in school right now? Oh well. If you don't already have _Trinity Instant Messenger,_ then go and download it so I can talk to you! 'Bastian and Covyll and Kimi want to say hi, too. James and Selina are out somewhere...I dunno. But yeah, anyway, my screen name is _ShakespearInLove, _so get one and talk to me!_

_Farewell, dear maiden!_

_---Sir Andrew, Ruler of England."_

With a small smile and a slight shake of the head, Rune spent five minutes searching for the correct website, downloading the program onto her laptop, and coming up with an appropriate screen name. She added Andrew to her buddy list, and then instant messaged him.

**InSaNiTyLoVeSmE3 has logged on.**

**ShakespearInLove has logged on.**

**InSaNiTyLoVeSmE3: **Hello, Andrew. What's up?

**ShakespearInLove: **ah! tis Rune, our good natured friend. hello, rune!

**xBloodyXwencHx: **who talks like that in a IM punctuation takes to long rune you need to learn this if your gonna talk with us

**InSaNiTyLoVeSmE3: **At least people can understand what I'm trying to say, Covyll. Besides, I type quickly; it's not like you have to wait forever to see what I'm trying to say.

**ShakespearInLove: **she has a point.

**.:sharingan:.: **school going okay Rune?

Rune stared at the new screen name for a few minutes, trying to figure out who this new person was. Was it Sebastian or Kimi? Or some other guy she didn't know could be talking to her... Yeah, it was Sebastian.

**InSaNiTyLoVeSmE3: **It's going fine, Sebastian. By the way, what's a 'sharingan'?

**.:sharingan:.: **its from an ancient show BB and Cy used to watch. they saved the DVDs, so one day the 3 of us watched them all. it took us forever. but anyway ITACHI RULES!

**xBloodyXwencHx: **ive already told u, jiraya is way cooler. but anyway, you dont sound convincing at all rune. what with u changing the subject and all.

**.:sharingan:.:** ITACHI OWNS! but ya, covylls right. is there something ur not telling us?

In the next moment, Rune felt like she had the worst luck of all. Somehow, the person who sat in the row next to her and one seat behind had gotten ahold of Rune's screen name_. "Damn Trinity program!" _was all Rune could think.

_'Who the hell makes a program that anyone can get into so easily?' _She thought angrily, searching frantically for a way to block the new person, but to no avail; his message came through.

**MasterofDanger: **Oi, Falle! talking to those man whores agan? maybe it wasnt ur MOM who got fucked, but YOU. HAH! I knew u were a slut!

And all at once, Rune's three friends retaliated -as well as improved their grammar and spelling- while she just hung her head in shame.

**.:sharingan:.: **WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT RUNE? YOU ASSWIPE, YOU BETTER HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU IN REAL LIFE!

**xBloodyXwencHx: **I'M GONNA COME TO THAT DAMN SCHOOL AND KICK YOUR ASS, BITCH! NO ONE TALKS TO OUR FRIENDS THAT WAY AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!

**ShakespearInLove: **Normally, I'm the rational, calm, never angry one... BUT THAT JUST PISSED ME OFF! I am going to hack into your computer and destroy it! I can find out where you live, too, bastard, and then WE will make sure you never say anything like that to our friend again! No girl deserves to be treated like that, especially not Rune!

RIIIINNNG!

"Alright, class, you can go," the teacher called lazily from his seat at the front of the room.

**InSaNiTyLoVeSmE3 has logged out.**

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Her five friends had called her using the communicator on the giant television in the main room on Monday evening, when the other Titans were away. We're not counting James for two reasons: One, he said he wasn't her friend, and two, he doesn't talk much, so why would he have a phone conversation? In any case, she just smiled and brushed it off, saying that she was happy that they cared so much, but telling them with a carefully hidden threat to just let it go. There wasn't much else they could do, so they complied.

By Friday night, Rune had received at least ninety-eight insults from students, a detention for being a smart-mouth, and large purple bruises on her body from where students had randomly pushed her or tripped her, which she always healed before her parents came home. All in all, her first week was horrible. Even though she knew that she had friends in Titans Tower, she didn't want to bother them with any of her problems; it had nothing to do with them. Her friends had their suspicions, but unbeknownst to them, Rune was a master of deception, and so without proof, they couldn't confront her about anything.

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Raven came home late Friday night and placed her purse on the counter, aware as soon as she walked in the Rune was in her room and Logan was in the office. She took off her tiring black heels and and rested them by the door to wear later, then walked through the kitchen and turned left down the hall. She soon noticed that Rune's bedroom light was on and, after concentrating for a minute or so, that her daughter was feeling saddened and stressed, as well as a little aggravated. She knocked on her door and waited for a response.

A few seconds later, the door opened. "Hi, mom. Do you need something?" Rune asked.

Raven shook her head. "No, I don't. I was just checking up on you. Are you okay? You feel a little...disturbed."

"...How-?" Raven smirked. "...Nevermind. Um...well, I am a little distracted. Just annoyed by the first week of school, that's all," Rune lied. And, as great at deceiving as she was, she couldn't fool her mother.

"Hm. Perhaps you should meditate? That normally helps me to calm down so I can think clearly again, and I'm sure it could help you. You remember your mantra, right?" Rune nodded, and Raven explained where and how to meditate to her daughter. "Okay?"

"Yes... I'll try that, I guess," Rune said quietly. Raven smiled and left for their office, and Rune thought about where she could find a relaxing place.

_'Somewhere relaxing...somewhere that normally makes me feel calm...'_

A few minutes later, Rune was sitting indian-style on the roof of her apartment complex. It was a nice night out; the stars were shining brightly overhead with the resplendent moon, occasionally covered by a lazy cloud. There was a slight breeze blowing around, cooling the warm air about her. She rested her hands one on top of the other and closed her eyes, exhaling and inhaling rhythmically.

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor..."

**I hope I didn't bore you guys to death! This chapter doesn't seem as good to me as my others have been, but maybe it's just the slow-pace it's going at... Anyway, I'm updating a day earlier than I had intended because tomorrow (Saturday, 9-2-06) my grandmother and my sister are coming up from Florida for the weekend, and I don't know if I'd be able to update this tomorrow, so yeah...what do you care, you have the next chapter. Anyway, yeah! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review on your way out!**

**---Later!**


	27. Labor Day

**Thank you very much for the reviews, girls and boys (at least I THINK I have male readers. Do I?). I appreciate it a lot. SO, here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it! Damn, this story's getting long. The sad part is, it's no where NEAR done yet. (dramatic sigh) Oh well. I like writing it, anyway, and that's why I'm glad you guys like reading it.**

**---ENJOY!**

Ch. 27: Labor Day

Rune was standing on the corner of Bauchman Street and Coron Avenue, shaking from head to toe in mind numbing fear; this was suprising, considering that she's never been afraid in her life. Her eyes were wide open and watery, but not a single tear was shed. All she did was stare in horror at what lie dead ahead. And yes, I do mean that literally.

Dead. Dead. _Dead. DEAD. **DEAD.**_

It couldn't be happening. There was absolutely no _way _that it was real. But it had to be; Rune could feel the sun shining down on her, warming her skin. She could _feel _the wind as it passed by. Yes, this had to be real. But how? _How _could it have happened? She couldn't figure out who was dead; her brain just couldn't process the information in this state. Regardless, she ran to their side in an instant.

She couldn't figure out for the life of her who it was, even though she was right in front of them. All she saw was the shadow of a figure, and the dark crimson liquid pouring from a wound on their temple and stomach. Even though she had no idea who this person was, she couldn't help but feel extreme sadness and outrage at their death. It was so irrational to feel scared and alone over the death of someone who you can't see, but she did.

She tried to use her healing powers to bring them back to life, and suceeded in sealing their wounds until there was nothing more than a faint gray scar. She checked for a pulse, but there was none; they were gone. She was too late to save them. She was shaking again, looking at her now blood-soaked hands from where she had touched the injuries. They were bullet wounds, the rational part of her mind realized, but she didn't care; they were dead, and she couldn't bring them back.

"No...no, I- I can't-! No! No, please, NO!" She yelled out. Abruptly she stood and took several shaky steps backwards from the body that was lying motionless upon the ground. A sense of fear overcame her as she turned and ran as fast as she could from the site, barely registering the blurs which could have been people passing by her.

She felt as though she had been running for hours, turning down alleyways and dodging passers by, not to mention a car or two. But finally, after a period of time, she came upon her destination. She didn't know why she was there until she saw what she had been fearing; she saw the coffin. As she hid in the trees, she noticed that it was a funeral.

_'It might not be...it might not be...' _She tried to assure herself, although somehow she just _knew_ it was the funeral of the person she couldn't save.

When the casket was lowered and buried by the dirt, and the last of the mourners had left the cemetery, Rune slowly made her way over to the gravestone. She suddenly became very cold, and her eyes went wide in shock as she read the beginning of the inscrpition above the name.

_"A Teen Titan-"_

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BE-!**

Rune awoke with a start and immediately slammed the "off" button down on her alarm clock. With a frustrated sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to recall if she had seen the name on the gravestone in her dream; she hadn't. It had been the same way for the past fortnight; she would go to sleep and dream that same dream in exactly the same way, and right as she got to the gravestone and read "A Teen Titan", she woke up.

_'My goodness, this is so ANNOYING! Who's grave IS it, for crying out loud? GAH!'_

Maybe it's like a premonition. You could have the power to tell the future, you know.

_'Didn't you say I wasn't supposed to even _get_ any powers until I had all my emotions and personalities? So, what, do I only have five?'_

No, I think you are different. With you, I believe that you start getting your powers after you have a certain number of emotions, and as you get new ones, you get new powers. Like with the arrival of Hope, you found the power to heal. So, maybe if you get Happiness, you'll get some other ability. Perhaps, since you've had Lonliness forever, you've also had the power to see the future forever. It's a large possibility.

_'Grr... I just want to know what this damn dream _means._ Okay, so someone I know is going to die, I've accepted that, but _WHO?'

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It was her fourth week, twentieth day in school, meaning that it was now Friday, September first. It was also Labor Day weekend, and a three day weekend at that, but Rune didn't have any special plans like most of the other kids at her school. This never bothered her, however. She had decided the day before that she would spend this holiday in her room reading, and had even bought a new book for the occasion, called _Twilight._

Currently, she was in her third period French class. The teacher had made it clear to them from day one that they were only to speak in French while in her class, otherwise they would be ignored.

"L'ok, classe, fixent, et ouvrent vos livres pour paginer dix," _(Okay, class, settle down, and open your books to page ten)_ the teacher, Mrs. Stephenson instructed. The ten students, including Rune, complied.

All of the sudden, the door to their classroom burst open, and someone ran in. Rune looked up with the rest of the class to see Andrew standing there panting, although Rune knew he was just acting. She glanced out the door and saw her other five friends waiting in the hallway; Kimi saw Rune and waved enthusiastically.

"Quelle est la signification de ceci, garçon?" _(What is the meaning of this, boy?)_ Mrs. Stephenson demanded, glaring coldly at Andrew.

"Je suis désolé, Madame, mais je suis venu soutenant de mauvaises nouvelles pour Rune Falle," _(I am sorry, Madame, but I have come bearing bad news for Rune Falle) _Andrew said. The teacher's eyes lit up when she heard him speak in perfect French, accent and everything. No doubt she was wishing that he was in her class.

Andrew turned to face Rune, who was sitting in the back of the class, and winked.

"Soeur!" He called out, flying over to Rune's desk and holding her hand in his own.

"Did he just call her his sister?"

"He can fly?"

"He's hot!"

"He's related to _her_?"

Ignoring them all, Andrew continued with his act. "Notre mère a accru gravement la défectuosité! Son souhait final est que nous partons de l'école et allons chez elle, ainsi elle peut la voir des jumeaux un temps final," _(Our mother has grown gravely ill! Her final wish is that we leave school and go to her, so she can see her twins a final time.)_ he said, tears running down his face.

"JUMEAUX?" _(twins?)_ the teacher yelled out. But no one was paying attention. Andrew pulled Rune out of her seat and walked with her to the door, then bowed as she passed through before him. He turned to the stunned classroom, and spoke in English this time.

"Oh, what a cruel world this is, to have chosen our dear mother to depart for the afterlife so soon! What ever shall we do without her?" Sebastian came up behind Andrew during his little "scene" and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "WHAT A WORLD! SO CRUEL!" he yelled, faking tears as he was dragged out the door and out of sight.

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The seven teens were now in the school parking lot, and Rune could see the T-car in the distance. She was still a bit confused as to why they had come down and broken her out of school, even though she was happy about it. They finally made it to the car, and Sebastian got in the front seat, with James in the front as well. From left to right in the back seat, there was Andrew, Kimi on his lap, Selina, Covyll, and Rune. Sebastian started the engine and pulled quickly out of the parking lot before any teacher might spot them. None of them seemed to notice, however, the crowds of students and teachers watching them from the windows of the school. Apparently, word had spread quickly about Rune's friends busting her out of school for Labor Day weekend.

Okay, now some of you might be thinking, "Wow! That's so cool! I wish _I_ could do that!" -myself included- but there were many in the school who did not approve of this. I'm not talking about the teachers, although admittedly, they _did_ disapprove of it. No, I'm talking about a certain group of individuals lead by one Cassidy Moth. You see, according to _them,_ no one was supposed to go near Rune (unless it was to hurt her), talk to Rune (unless it was to insult her), and most importantly, with absolutely _no_ exceptions...

_NO ONE_ was supposed to befriend her. So, you can imagine how upset the aforementioned group was to find that all three of these written rules had been broken. As soon as the T-car was no longer visible, the four girls -Cassidy Moth, Tiffany Ltaif, Synthia Gurliaccio, and Janet Stephens- left for the girl's restroom to find a solution to their "problem". Honestly, though, what's the worst a bunch of rich and popular teenage girls could do to ruin the life of someone they hate?

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"Okay, girls, we've got a situation," Cassidy Moth said, looking into the eyes of each of her friends in turn. "Little Miss Falle has made some new friends, no doubt over the summer. Now all we have to do is...show them the _error_ of their ways," she finished with a smirk; her friends sniggered. "So, any ideas?" she asked, looking pointedly at Synthia Gurliaccio.

"Well, do they go to this school?" Synthia asked.

"I think I would remember seeing four hot guys here," Tiffany Ltaif said.

"Then there goes _that_ plan," Synthia mumbled. "Hm... if we can catch one of them while they're walking on the streets -with or without Little Miss Falle- and convince one or two to talk to us, then we can change their mind's about her. All we have to do is hook one of them, and Rune will begin to break from the betrayal."

The four girls all smiled wickedly at the idea. After nearly half an hour of planning, they had decided on a course of action. They now knew when, where, and how to strike. During a particularly loud bout of evil laughter, a female teacher walked into the restroom to investigate.

"Girls! What are you doing lounging around in here and laughing like you were insane? I should give you four detention for this!" Mrs. Pittle said. Cassidy was immediately in front of the ppor, unsuspecting math teacher.

"We're terribly sorry, Mrs. Pittle," she said, using every ounce of skill inside of her being to make her performance plausible. "We've only been in here for so long because we were helping Janet. You see, she wasn't feeling well -it wasn't easy holding her hair back, you know- so we completely forgot about our classes. We're so sorry, but we were just looking after our friend; we wanted to make sure she was okay. And that laughter...well, we were having a deep moment when..." at this point, a light blush came to Cassidy's face.

Mrs. Pittle looked sympathetic. "It's okay, I completely understand. You were, after all, just looking out for the welfare of your friend. Just don't make it a habit. Now, off to your classes -you feel better, right Janet?- okay, you four, go on now. I won't give you detention _this_ time." The four girls nodded and smiled

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"ACHOO!" Rune sniffed, then said, "Sorry..."

"No problem. So, where are we gonna go, guys?" Sebastian asked from the front, looking at them all through the rear-view mirror.

"Movies!" Andrew and Kimi cried out in unison. "All in favor, say I!" Andrew finished. Everyone said 'I', aside from James. Sebastian -being the one in the front seat- looked at James to get his opinion.

"...Okay," he said, staring out the window at the moving streets around him. Sebastian smiled.

"Movies it is, then."

A half an hour later, the seven of them were standing in line in front of the theater. There were six different movies playing; two horror films, three comedies, and a romance. Now here's the problem with going to the movies in large groups- not everyone wants to see the same thing. For instance, even though Andrew and Kimi wanted to see the romance, "Of Passions and Prostitutes", Covyll wanted to see the horror film, "Murderer". In the same respect, Sebastian, James, and Rune each wanted to see the horror movie, "Angel in the Snow". Selina really didn't have a movie in mind; she just wanted everyone to be happy.

"Okay, we're splitting up," Andrew said. "The seven of us can each go to whatever movie we want to, but _everyone_ has to have a movie buddy."

"...Movie...buddy?" Covyll asked, speaking for more than just himself.

"Yes, a movie buddy!" Kimi chimed in. "Do you even _know_ how many young, innocent teens have fallen victim to the harsh world of the movie theater? For one thing, it's dark, and any one of us could be attacked if we're alone. For another thing, HELLO! Use your brain! What if something happens in the movie, and one of us gets scared, or dies of a nosebleed, or-!"

"Okay! Okay! Jeese..." Sebastian sighed. "It's a good idea. So, Andrew and Kimi, I assume you're going to go see that romance?" Affirmative from their end. "Okay, and Covyll, who's going to the horror film with you?"

"Huh. Never thought about that. Let's see..." He did a good job of seeming at a loss of what to say, until a minute or so later, when Selina spoke up for him.

"I-if you want, I can...go s-see the movie...with you..." she said shyly, looking away with a slight blush. Covyll smirked and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, earning a small, protective glare from James, and a darker blush from Selina.

Covyll soon caught sight of that glare, though. "Don't worry, James. Your sister is safe with me." Suprisingly, this didn't make James feel any better; his glare intensified.

"It's okay, James... I... Nothing bad i-is going to happen..." Selina spoke almost reassuringly. James's glare lingered on Covyll for a moment longer, and then he looked away. This was basically his way of giving permission.

"Okay, and so it'll be Rune, James, and me watching 'Angel in the Snow'," Sebastian said, finishing his earlier thoughts.

"Alright team, you have your missions, now move out!" Covyll said authoritatively.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Andrew and Kimi cried out simultaneously, giving Covyll a salute. After everything was decided, the seven teens separated to purchase tickets and then went to their respective theaters.

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The rest of the afternoon was pretty much uneventful. Selina had come out of the theater looking absolutely terrified, and had, according to Covyll, clung to the boy in horror during the movie. Covyll didn't seem to mind this, but everyone knew that he had wanted to see a horror movie for just that reason- to get Selina to be afraid so he could "comfort" her. It came as no suprise. Andrew and Kimi had told the others that their movie was dramatic, and extremely passionate; they had loved it. As for Rune, James, and Sebastian, the movie didn't scare any of them, but they did admit that it was rather creepy and suspenseful.

On their way to Rune's house, the septet stopped for ice cream and were currently standing by the T-car, happily munching on their treats. Unfortunately for them, things would not stay so simple for much longer. How, you might be wondering, could this evening possibly take a turn for the worst? I know; it's such a wonderful day that there's no way anything could possibly go wrong, right? Let's see just how wrong you are...

As James took a bite of his ice cream sandwich, he looked away from the six others around him and stared absently down Parakeet Street. As he did this, he noticed that a group of four preppy, giggling, energetic girls were only six yards away from them, and getting closer with every second that passed. He faintly remembered seeing girls like this at Rune's school. They had all been watching the guys -including himself- and were giggling amongst themselves. He narrowed his eyes slightly at them, then turned away. With any luck, they would simply walk past and take their giggles with them. Sadly enough, James posessed no such luck; they stopped right in front of the septet with bright smiles on their faces.

"Hi! My name is Cassidy," one girl said, "and these are my friends Janet, Synthia, and Tiffany. Do you mind if w-"

"You are not welcome here. Go away," Rune said coldly, glaring daggers at the four girls. Cassidy smiled a sickly sweet smile.

"Rune! What a suprise; I hadn't noticed you. I believe you and Tiffany are friends, right? Why don't you-"

"Go. Away," she repeated, albeit a bit louder. Cassidy let the smile slowly fade from her face, then narrowed her eyes a bit at Rune.

"Well, Falle, we didn't come here to talk to _you_," Cassidy said, as though the very idea repulsed her. "We're here to have a little chat with your friends. Is that alright? Good," she said before anyone could reply. "Now, will you four please come with us?" She asked, that false sweetness shining through again. The boys looked at each other, then at Rune, who was glaring intensely at the girls.

"Well...okay," Andrew said unsurely, "just for a minute- we don't want to be rude."

Reluctantly, the four boys followed the four girls out of earshot into an alleyway across the street and behind a toy store. Kimi and Selina looked at Rune, who was clearly angry, but also looked saddened. The two tried to get information from their friend, but she wouldn't say a single word. So, without much of a choice, they waited for the boys to come back from their little "chat".

**So how do you like it? What's going to happen, now that James, Sebastian, Andrew, and Covyll could quite possibly turn on Rune in favor of her enemies? What will the Bitchy Lusting Obnoxious Neurotic Demented Emotional Sluts say to change the boys' minds? What will the four male Titans do? Will Rune still have her friends after this encounter?**

**Find out next time! But please leave a review on your way out- I would greatly appreciate it. And thanks again to those of you who reviewed the last chapter.**

**---Later!**


	28. A Question of Trust

**Wow, you all have taken my happiness to a new level. I am speachless...SIXTEEN REVIEWS! Thank you so much, reviewers. It means a lot to me. So, without further ado, I would like to present the next chapter of The Story of a Girl.**

**---Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Crud, I forgot to put this in the last chapter. Is this really that important anyway? (sigh) Okay, I STILL do not own the Teen Titans, because they belong to someone else other than myself. That should be plainly obvious.**

Ch. 28: A Question of Trust

As you may recall, Rune's four male friends were currently across the street from the T-car and their friends, in an alley behind a toy store, just about to have a conversation with four girls from Raya High. What's important for you to know is that these girls are out to destroy Rune's life, and they were starting with her friends. So, they lured the boys away from the others in order to "teach" them more about their friend Rune Falle. Now, let's see what happens...

Cassidy, Tiffany, Synthia, and Janet were standing one next to the other, facing the four boys. Sebastian, Andrew, and Covyll were standing up straight, facing the girls. James, however, was leaning against the alley wall, completely shrouded in darkness -you had to look closely to even know that he was there. Without a moment to spare, Cassidy began to explain their reasons for seeking out the Titans, even though she didn't know they were.

"Okay, let's start over. Hi, I'm Cassidy, and you might be?" She asked, looking pointedly at Sebastian.

"Sebastian. These guys are Andrew, Covyll, and James."

Cassidy smiled. "It's very nice to meet you," she said in a polite tone. "Now, on to business. We want to talk to the four of you about your relationships with Rune Falle. Are you her family, or...?"

"We're Rune's friends," Covyll said, smirking at Janet suggestively. James -although you couldn't see it- glared at him.

"Covyll," Andrew started carefully, "James says that if you don't stop eyeing that..._girl_," -James smirked at this, knowing perfectly well that he had _not_ been so kind- "that he's going to castrate you and never let you near his sister again."

Covyll's eyes widened slightly, but then he growled and said, "Fine."

"...Right. Well, anyway," Cassidy started, "how long have you known Rune for?"

"Months," Sebastian said.

"I see." Cassidy took a minute or so to organize her thoughts, then said, "Well, how much do you _know_ about her, would you say? Like, do you know what's gone on in her past, for instance?"

"What's there to know?" Andrew asked. "She's our friend, and we trust her- that's more than enough information for any of us." James coughed slightly. "Well...for most of us, anyway..."

"So you trust her, but you don't know anything about her?" Synthia asked, a hopeful tone in her voice. Sebastian nodded.

"But _he_ doesn't, apparently," Janet pointed out, looking at James.

"Well, James is different," Andrew said. "But anyway-"

"What do you have against Rune?" James asked quietly, though you could hear the menace in his tone. The girls became cautious.

"What do you mean by that?" Cassidy asked. "We haven't got anyth-"

"If you care for your well-being at all, I suggest you don't lie to me," James said, stepping out of the shadows. His tone suggested danger, and they could all tell he'd have no problem hurting them.

"Well, it's not our fault!" Synthia said, tears pouring from her eyes. "We just wanted her to be safe, that's all! But _no_! Tell me, James, how would you feel if you had to watch _your_ sister suffer through the depression that follows an abortion, knowing there was _nothing_ you could do about it? Well it's not easy, let me tell you! She was like family to each and every one of us! We cared about her so much, b-but she w-wouldn't even listen t-to us!"

At this point, Synthia fell to her knees and broke down crying; her shoulders were shaking, she had her hands covering her face, and the sobs kept coming, no matter how hard she tried to repress them. Janet bent down and gave her a hug, rubbing her back and trying to console her. The boys were all stunned after witnessing this, and even James's eyes had widened a little. It was Sebastian who decided to speak up first.

"...She had sex..." He had trouble finding his words. "But she wouldn't-! She's not like-! Why would-? Rune would never..."

"I know, it's so hard to believe," Cassidy said, frowning sadly. "And that's not the worst of it."

"There's _more_?" Covyll asked. Cassidy nodded, and Tiffany decided to explain further.

"The principal felt so bad about what Mr. Fredmont had done that he-"

"Mr. Fredmont? Who's he?" Andrew asked.

"...Our old Algebra teacher...anyway, the principal felt so bad for Rune, that he made sure she always had A's in every subject. This made the other kids jealous, and also the rumors that spread around...well, after _we_ heard about it, we had trouble being able to talk to her. It was so...awkward. Eventually, our friendship just...ended," Tiffany finished.

"Rune was fucked by a _teacher_?" Covyll asked incredulously.

"Yeah..." Janet said sadly. "After we told her that we just couldn't be friends anymore, she got so _mad_. She acted like she'd been _betrayed,_" she said exasperatedly; Tiffany flinched at that last word. "She started yelling about how we were supposed to be her friends, and that friends don't betray other friends, but we just couldn't deal with it--with _her_. Cassidy told her that we couldn't always cover up Rune's mistakes, and that's when she lost it. She jumped on Cassidy and started hitting her, it took Tiffany and Selina together to restrain her.

"A few days later, we heard that she'd been stealing things from the mall, but she was never caught; apparently, she was a natural theif."

It was just so hard for them to believe this story. Sebastian had his doubts, but Synthia had been -and still was- so distraught over it, there was just no way she could be lying. Covyll couldn't believe that such a smart girl would do something so..._stupid_. James didn't know enough about Rune to know if she was like that or not, so he simply considered this new information, wondering whether or not they were lying. Andrew, however, was peering at Cassidy with narrowed eyes. If you were paying close enough attention, you could have seen his eyes flash white for a split second.

"Hm... Cassidy, was it?" he asked. She nodded, giving the teen her attention. "Mission failed," Andrew said clearly and coldly.

Cassidy paled, and asked him what he was talking about, but everyone could see that she knew exactly what he meant. Synthia stopped crying, and instead she looked up at Andrew with curiosity. Janet and Tiffany were both stunned, wondering the same thing; how did he know? As for the three other boys, they looked at Andrew encouragingly, wanting to know what he meant.

"You were just celebrating in your mind," he explained. "I heard all of it. 'Yes! Our mission was a success! Now they know _all about_ Rune!' And so on. I don't know what your mission was, but I can promise you, you failed."

"What was your mission?" James demanded, glaring at the girls with such intensity that they each unconciously took steps backwards. "I promise, I won't _hurt_ you if you tell me the truth," he added sinisterly. Even the other boys were freaked out.

"W-we just w-wanted t-to tell y-you about-about Rune, that's a-all," Janet said, eyes wide in fright.

"Yeah, w-we thought you should kn-know, okay?" Cassidy added. "Y-you have a r-right to, you s-see..."

James continued glaring unblinkingly at the four teenage girls in front of him, debating on whether or not to kill them. Andrew was investigating their thoughts, but could only hear them freaking out; the only downside to his power was that he could only hear what you were currently thinking. Covyll was trying hard not to laugh at the way James was scaring those preppy girls, and was having a hard time of it. Sebastian, however, was still thinking about what they had said about Rune, and he was wondering if it was true.

"Why does Rune hate you?" Sebastian asked.

"Because we told her mom about the baby. She wanted to keep it a secret, but her mom had the right to know. We promised we wouldn't tell Mrs. Falle that Rune had had sex, but when we got the test results back and it was positive...we just couldn't keep it a secret," Tiffany said.

As Sebastian was about to continue, he was interrupted by a voice from the entrance to the alley.

"Oi! Are you done yet?" Kimi called. "Rune has to get home, you know. And so do we! Let's go!"

"Coming!" Andrew called back happily, smiling. He then turned to the girls and said, "Well, you heard the woman. Au revoir, and all that jazz. We must be off!" With that, the four boys turned to leave.

"H-hold on!" Synthia called out. "James, we want to tell you something, before you go."

James turned and faced them while the others continued to leave. Once his friends were out of earshot, Synthia walked closer to James until she was a foot from him, then spoke.

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Kimi, Andrew, Covyll, and Sebastian were sitting in the T-car with Rune and Selina, waiting for James when they heard shouts. They looked at one another, then at James, who was walking calmly out of the alley and across the street. Once he was in the car, he ignored everyone's questions and pointed to the group of girls who had also come out. They all noticed that Synthia had a large black and blue bruise on her left cheek and was crying, while Cassidy, Tiffany, and Janet looked both angry and afraid.

"What did you do?" Sebastian asked accusingly. James shrugged.

"The whore deserved it," was his only response.

As the T-car started and began moving down the streets of Raya City, Rune smiled subtly at what she knew James had done.

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"That bitch!" Janet yelled from the sidewalk as James got into the car and it drove away. "How could he do that to a girl?" she demanded.

"Jerk...what did I do to deserve being slapped, anyway?" Synthia asked, touching her fingers to her cheek, but abruptly pulling away as she felt it burn.

"I don't know..." Cassidy said. "But what I _do_ know is that there's something _seriously_ wrong with him, as well as that Andrew guy. I'm not sure about the other two... Come on girls, let's go to my house. We need to figure out who it is exactly that Little Miss Falle has made friends with."

With that said, the four girls began their walk to their leader's home, in uptown Raya City- the most expensive place to live. As they walked, Tiffany grew silent, ignoring her friends who were still cursing James. Instead of agreeing, she was thinking about Rune. If you were to look at her, you could tell that she was paying no attention to the world around her, as she was lost in her own thoughts. But her "friends" weren't paying attention.

FLASHBACK:

Two little girls were playing on the swing sets of Matthias Park on a Saturday morning. One little girl had gray eyes, and her long brown hair was tied up in a pony tail on her head. The other little girl had bright blue eyes, and couldn't tie her short blue hair up at all. They were swinging back and forth, giggling and chatting the morning away, while their mothers looked on from a bench several yards away. The brown haired girl looked to her friend and smiled.

"Hey, Ruin?" she said, catching the younger girl's attention.

"I've already told you," the seven year old said, "it's _Rune_. My name can't be that hard to say, can it, Tiffany?"

Tiffany smiled. "I know that, silly! I just like calling you Ruin. But I have a question. Do you remember yesterday when you wanted to tell me something? What'd you wanna say?"

Rune blushed a light shade of pink and looked away, mumbling something inchoherent to her friend.

"Come on! Please tell me! Please?" Tiffany begged, giving Rune puppy dog eyes. Rune sighed and nodded. "Yay!"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you! But you gotta promise you won't ever ever _ever_ tell anyone else! It's a really big, important secret, okay, Tiffs?" Tiffany nodded. "I...I have a c-crush on Jordan..."

"AIII!" Tiffany squealed, making Rune fall off of her swing. Tiffany was by her side in an instant, a large grin on her face. "REALLY? THAT'S SO CUTE! I'LL HELP Y-mmph!" Rune had slapped her hand over her friend's mouth quickly, shushing her all the while.

"Rune? Tiffany? Are you two girls okay?" Raven asked from her spot on the bench.

"We're fine, mommy!" Rune replied, smiling. When Raven looked away, Rune turned to her friend. "You promised you wouldn't tell! And I don't want your help. No offense, but you'd let the whole school know before Jordan ever found out!"

"Okay, okay. I won't tell," Tiffany said. Rune smiled gratefully at her friend, and then the two girls hugged.

End FLASHBACK.

Tiffany gave a very sublte smile at the memory, but it didn't last long as she remembered what happened the following Monday...

FLASHBACK:

It was a cloudy Monday morning at Jeffersion Elementary school. In Mrs. Reynold's classroom, fifteen little third graders were chatting away with their friends, waiting for their teacher to come in the classroom. Tiffany Ltaif was one such third grader. At the moment, she was sitting by herself at her desk, waiting for Rune to get to school. As she was waiting, two other girls walked over to her desk. One of them had shoulder length blonde hair and icy blue eyes. The other one had her dark brown hair pulled up in a pony tail, the ends just reaching the nape of her neck, and was glaring at Tiffany with forest green eyes. Tiffany recognized the two girls at once; they were Cassidy Moth and Synthia Gurliaccio.

"Hi, I'm Cassidy. But I guess you already know that -I _am_ the most popular girl in school, after all. But anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you're really pretty. Not as pretty as I am, of course, but still."

"Um, thank you..." Tiffany said shyly.

"See?" she said to Synthia. "I told you Tiffany would have more sense than _Falle_." Turning back to Tiffany, she said, "I told Little Miss Falle that _she_ was pretty last week, but _she_ only glared at me and said I was super...something."

"Superficial," Synthia said.

"Whatever. And then she dared to ignore me! _Me!_ Ack! How can you be friends with her? _I_ could be a better friend to you than _her._"

At this, Tiffany looked up, suddenly interested. You see, she has always watched the popular girls on television, as well as in her very own school, and knew that they were the prettiest most respected girls out there. She had always admired Cassidy and Synthia, because from her point of veiw, they were pretty, popular, and rich -everything she wasn't. She had always wanted to be accepted by them, so that maybe she too could be pretty, and that she too could have more friends.

"Are you saying you want to be my friend?" she asked.

Cassidy looked at her in silence for a moment, then said, "Why not? You're pretty, you're kind, I'd love to be your friend!" Tiffany's eyes lit up with excitement. "But...I can't. You're best friends with Little Miss Falle -if I suddenly started hanging out with you, I'd have to hang out with her, too, and then I'll be thrown away like garbage! We can't have that now, can we?" Tiffany shook her head, and Cassidy smirked. "Great. So, this is what we want you to do..."

Fifteen minutes after Cassidy and Synthia finished talking to Tiffany, Rune walked in the classroom. Tiffany made an effort to look at her desk until she heard a gasp from Rune, and looked up. Rune was sitting at her own desk a couple of seats away, staring at her desktop with tears in her eyes. Everyone in the room started laughing at her as a tear rolled down her cheek, because they knew what she was looking at--written all over a piece of paper on her desk in a variety of colors were various curses and hateful phrases. "Monster!", "Witch!", "Go away!", "Freak!", "Bitch!", and so on and so forth. They got even worse towards the end of the paper, and the bottom, Rune saw clearly, was signed by none other than Tiffany Ltaif.

Rune looked over at Tiffany with her large pained eyes, only to see that her former best friend was laughing along with the rest of the class. So as fast as she could, Rune bolted out of the room, clutching the paper in one hand and trying to wipe away the endless tears with the other.

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"MOM! I'M HOME!" Cassidy yelled out as she entered her parent's mansion with her three friends. The four of them made their way up the grand staircase and down many hallways to Cassidy's room, where they locked the door and made themselves comfortable.

"Okay, let's find out who these people really are..." Synthia said. She quickly used Cassidy's computer and searched the web for anything that could help them out in finding out just who Rune's new friends were. After nearly an hour of nothing but dead ends, angry curses, kareoke, and extreme boredom, Synthia found a valid website. "Guys, I found them! Sebastian Grayson," she brought up pictures of them, "Covyll Ikira, James Matthews, and Andrew Stone."

The other girls looked at the web page.

"Oh my GOODNESS! They're- they're-! They're TEEN TITANS?" Cassidy yelled, eyes wide in shock.

"That's what it says here," Synthia said. "They live in Jump City, at Titans Tower."

This changed everything for the four girls. Now that they knew who Rune's knew friends were, they could be adequately prepared for their next encounter with the Titans. They spent half the night learning everything they could about the Titans, their powers, their home--anything they could. After that, it was time to continue plotting...

**Well, what do you think? JAMES BITCH SLAPPED SYNTHIA! I know, I know, it should have been Cassidy, right? Don't worry, she'll get what's coming to her--they all will. (evil laughter!) I hope you liked the chapter, and please leave a review on the way out! And I'm sorry it took so long--I procrastinated. It won't happen again!**

**---Later!**


	29. Attack

**Okay, guys, I am so so so so so SO SORRY that it took me this long to update! I planned on updating on the 20th, but I hadn't finished this chapter, and then I was basically grounded from the computer, and I've had a lot that I've needed to do lately and I'm just SO SORRY! Please forgive me, and enjoy the next chapter.**

**---Jaime (sorry!)**

**Disclaimer: It's not that I don't _own_ the Titans, it's just... Oh, wait, it's that.**

Ch. 29: Attack

It was a bright Saturday morning in Jump City. The citizens of the city were all outside, enjoying their days off from work and school, while hanging out at the beach or going to the movies. Yes, everyone was happy, or at the very least, content. Does this sound familiar? Good, then that means you've been paying attention.

In Titans Tower, things were also running smoothly. It was ten A.M. at the moment, and Andrew and Covyll were absent from the Tower, as they preferred to spend the day with their families. Cyborg had gone with Andrew to visit Bumble Bee and the others at the Titans East tower, and Starfire and Nightwing had gone to see about recruiting a new teen. So, that left the remaining teenagers and adult to their own devices.

James Matthews was sitting Indian style on his bed reading, while resting his back against the headboard and listening to his favorite CD. This was something that he normally did in his spare time, which he had a lot of, these days. It wasn't like that in New York; he was always looking out for his sister, and the two of them were always trying to stay alive. His eyes became unfocused as he continued to think back on his life in New York. He could remember as far back as the day his sister was born. And, oddly enough, that very day was one of the happiest of his life...

FLASHBACK:

A one year old James was standing in the corner of the room awkwardly, not exactly sure what was happening or what he should do. The bright lights of the hospital room shone overhead, giving off a low buzzing sound as the electricity flowed through them. But he couldn't hear that buzz; all he could hear was the sound of his mother's screams and curses. There were two nurses and one doctor running around the room, making sure that they were ready for when his new sibling would arrive. His father, a reddish-brown haired man in his mid-twenties, was standing to the side of the hospital bed, wincing every time his wife screamed in pain.

After fifteen minutes of confusion, James finally heard his mother sigh in relief, as well as the sound of a baby crying. He watched curiously as the nurses brought his sibling over to be weighed, then as they wrapped it in a pink blanket and brought it over to his mother.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Matthews," one nurse, a portly woman with gray hair said, smiling happily. "It's a girl."

Mrs. Matthews took her child into her arms and looked at her expressionlessly, neither smiling nor frowning. The doctor and the nurses all wore expressions of confusion, but left the room without another word, closing the door behind them. After a few moments of silence, James tentatively wobbled over to his mother's side and looked at his baby sister; he thought she was cute. She smiled up at him with her cat-like yellow eyes, and he couldn't resist the urge to smile back.

"Uhg, all that work for _this?_" his father said, glaring in disgust at the little girl. "I was hoping for another boy--maybe one who was _stronger, _and _braver_ that the little dipshit over there." At this point, he looked at James, who stared at the ground sorrowfully.

"Hm." Mrs. Matthews stared long and hard at the little girl, before she thrusted her into James's arms unceremoniously, causing poor James to fall on his butt; he protected his sister, though, without even thinking about it. "I don't like her. Honey, why do we have such awful kids? I mean, I'm gorgeous," she said, brushing a stray lock of dark brown hair from her hazel eyes, "and you're extremely handsome, yet fire-top and pussy-cat over there don't look anything like us."

"Psh." Mr. Matthews glared at his children, then said, "I don't know why we even bothered to have kids in the first place, baby. But who cares? Let's just get out of here before it gets late."

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James was still holding on to his sister as the family entered their small, filthy apartment in New York City. Almost immediately his parents went straight to the living room to watch television and drink their alchohol. James stood by the door unsurely, not really knowing what you're supposed to do with a baby. So, carefully, he wobbled to his bedroom -a closet-sized room with a small dresser and some sheets piled on the floor for a mattress- and gently placed his sister on the "bed", then left for the living room.

"U-um...mommy? Daddy?" he started. His parents looked at him, almost reluctant to have to listen to the one year old's words. "What's her name?"

"Her name could be 'Bitchrag' for all I care," his mother said, turning back to the TV. James looked down at the floor sadly.

"H-how do you take care of a b-baby?"

"Hn. That'll be your job," Mr. Matthews said. "Change her diaper, feed her, bathe her, and play with her. Think you can handle it?"

"I-"

"Good. Now go away." James sighed in defeat and slowly made his way back to his room, where his baby sister was waiting for him.

_'How do I care for her when I'm also a baby?' _He thought.

Contrary to what his parents may think, James was probably the smartest one year old in all of New York. So, putting his brain to good use, he went out to the kitchen where all the baby stuff was and grabbed some diapers and his bottle. He staggered down the short, dark hallway into the only bathroom in the house and washed out his transparent blue bottle, then changed the diaper he was wearing. After that, he went back to the kitchen and filled his bottle with milk, then warmed it for thirty seconds in their microwave.

Once that was said and done, James walked back to his bedroom and closed the door. He looked at his sister and saw that she was smiling up at him from under the blankets. He smiled back, then uncovered her and put a diaper on her. He walked the two steps to his dresser and opened it, looking for something for her to wear. He finally decided on a white shirt, and went over to put it on her. Once she was dressed, he crawled under the covers and held her to him protectively, while the lights went out and the blinds to his window opened seemingly of their own accord, letting the pale moonlight shine through onto the siblings.

"Don't tell mommy and daddy," he said in his light, child-like voice, "but I can have air do anything I want it to." To illustrate this point, his bottle flew over to the two of them. "See?" He smiled and held the nipple to his sister's lips, then watched as she drank it sip by sip.

Once the bottle was empty, James used his power to make it fly over to his dresser and set itself down, and then he pulled the covers up all the way to their chins. As his sister closed her eyes and clutched onto his brown shirt with her tiny fists, he spoke softly.

"Selina," he said, closing his eyes, as well. "Your name is Selina."

End FLASHBACK.

James let out a small, inaudible sigh as the memory ended, and continued reading his book.

_'Yes, our parents were very uncaring when it came to us. But they got what they deserved,' _he smirked, an evil glint in his eyes, _'and I am so glad that _I_ was the one to give it to them.'_

James continued reading for the better part of an hour, the most action being when he changed the song on his stereo, or when he turned the page in his book. But, unfortunately for him, just as he got to the middle of the book, the red flashing lights and loud siren of the Titans alarm went off throughout the tower. A little faster than normal, he hopped out of his bed and set his book down on the nightstand, then left his room and headed for the others. After walking down the winding hallways for nearly two minutes, he made it to the main room; Sebastian was pecking away at the computer, the screen displayed on the giant television. Changeling was on the couch, and Selina and Kimi were standing behind it, looking up at the giant television seriously.

"An unknown threat is attacking uptown Jump by the mall. No one else is here, so it's our job to go find out who this guy is and what he wants." Sebastian turned to the others and pointed towards the exit. "Titans, GO!" The others looked at him strangely, and he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Eh he he... I've always wanted to say that. Ahem. Right, let's go!"

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Changeling was driving the T-car down random streets to where the attack was taking place, dodging pedestrians and vehicles on his way as he tried to get there as fast as he could. James, Selina, and Kimi were sitting in the back, and Sebastian up front with Changeling. After Changeling had run through his tenth red light, Sebastian began to give his fellow Titans their orders.

"Alright, we know absolutely nothing about this guy, so we need to be careful. Selina, once we get there I want you to go invisible and check out the area- maybe we can learn something about this guy before we attack. Changeling, I want you to follow her as something small and inconspicuous- I don't care what. Kimi and James, I want the two of you to be on either side of them, far enough to not be seen but close enough to protect them. I'll be behind Changeling and Selina; we need to finish this quickly, and with as little casualties as possible."

It only took a few minutes for the five of them to make it to Jump City mall. When they had received the distress call, Sebastian had ordered that the mall be evacuated; there were no other cars in the lot. Once they were parked out front, they jumped out of the car simultaneously and ran for the mall's entrance. As soon as they entered the door, Selina turned invisible, Changeling disappeared, and the remaining three split up to guard their team mates. James and Sebastian were hiding in the shadows behind a stone pillar, looking to make sure that they weren't being watched. When they were positively well-hidden, James sent an inconspicuous breeze throughout the mall to locate his team mates, as well as their enemy.

_'Selina is by the escalators, Kimi is a few feet from her by the bathrooms, Changeling is flying seven feet above Selina, Sebastian is two feet behind me, and our attacker is...'_

"...Not here."

"What?" Sebastian whispered.

"There isn't anyone here but the five of us," James explained, not bothering to whisper. He walked out of their hiding place and over to the escalators, Sebastian right behind him.

Before they even made it halfway, however, a shadowed figure dropped down from the ceiling and landed in front of Selina, who was still invisible. James immediately tensed.

_'What the hell? I sent the wind to every corner of this mall _and_ the roof, _and_ the parking lot. There is _no way _this guy was here thirty seconds ago; no one can hide from me.'_

After a second, the figure dropped down to the ground. Using his arms to support his weight, he sent a powerful, two-legged kick towards seemingly nothing. But his feet made contact with something solid, which yelled out in pain as it was thrown back. Selina became visible again halfway through the air, giving everyone the chance to see her body slam into the brick wall and slump the the floor pitifully. Kimi cried out to her friend but received no response; James gritted his teeth in anger.

Changeling transformed back to his human form and ran to Selina's side. She opened her eyes and winced at the pain in her abdomen when the adult tried to help her up. With her arm around Changeling's shoulder, she finally stood and faced the attacker. The five Titans were all staring in confusion at the villain, who sat crouched on the floor. He was completely black, almost as if he was covered with ink. Only that couldn't be true, because this guy didn't have a face.

James motionlessly aimed an attack at the criminal using his Wind Blades, but his target didn't budge as the assault went right through him and hit the far wall on the other side. James and Selina were nothing less than suprised, whereas the others needed to think for a minute before they realized it had been James to fire. Sebastian and Kimi immediately got into offensive positions after that. Kimi's hands were aflame, while Sebastian held resplendent red starbolts at the ready. So, imagine their shock when their target slowly began to disappear, as though his body was made of dry sand and was being blown by a nonexistent breeze.

The criminal's body leisurely disintegrated and flowed like water, painting an inky streak in the air above them. The black, grainy pieces moved gracefully in swirling patterns, rising higher and higher until they reached the railing of the third floor, where they slowly converged against the wall. The five Titans noticed that the villain's appearance now seemed elongated, and it was in more of a gray color. They each realized asynchronously that it was simply a shadow, and followed the adumbration to the point where it met it's owner. They had finally found their villain.

Judging by his looks, James deduced that he was a teenager -eighteen years old, perhaps?- and was physically agile. The boy had luxurious silver hair that was pulled back into a ponytail atop his head, reaching down to his mid-back when drawn up; his eyes were such a light shade of pink that it was hard to tell if there was any color in them at all. His pants, shirt, and shoes were black, along with his hoodless cloak, whose collar reached an inch below his chin. His skin was deathly pale, as though he had never before been in sunlight. The teen was smirking down at his opponents confidently, an air of both arrogance and mischieviousness surrounding him.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Sebastian asked- well, more like _demanded_. The teen smirked and held out his left hand to where everyone could see it, then one after the other he moved his fingers into nine different positions.

"...Eh?"

The teen sighed and shook his head with his eyes closed, though he was still smirking. Without warning, he leapt into the air and dove headfirst towards the ground. His shadow followed a split second later, broken once more into millions of minuscule pieces, and swirled around him, catching him just before he hit the ground. The fragments merged together and became the nameless villain's shadow once more as he landed noiselessly on the ground. He stared Sebastian directly in the eyes and his smirk vanished; he looked angry.

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Andrew and Cyborg were on their way to a pizza restaurant in Steel City at eleven fourty-five when Andrew's communicator went off. **_'Do do do da DOO do do da do!'_** Said teen pulled out his communicator and opened it to see Selina's face; she looked scared. Cyborg looked at the screen over Andrew's shoulder as the boy spoke.

"Hey, wh-"

"Andrew! Cyborg! Y-you guys have t-to get over here, n-now! It's- we can't- we need help!"

"Woah, Selina, calm down," Andrew said, looking concerned. "What happened? Where are you?"

"We received a d-distress call almost a-an hour ago," Selina said, looking around and speaking quietly. "We're at the mall, b-but this guy is tough! W-we can't-! Ah! N-no, please! DON'T-!" The transmission was cut off and the screen went blank.

Andrew and Cyborg looked at each other, then began running back to the Titans East tower. As they ran, Cyborg called the Titans East.

"We've got an emergency!" he said as soon as he could see Speedy's face. "We just received a distress call from Selina- they're at the mall, and they're under attack. She said their opponent is too strong for them, and that they need help. We'll be at the Steel City beach, meet us there!"

"Got it!" Speedy said before ending the call to go tell the others.

"Do you think we'll make it?" Andrew asked as they rounded a corner and dodged civilians on their way to the beach.

"We have to," Cyborg answered. "We're the only one's close enough; Nightwing and Star are in Asia and Covyll and Aqualad are somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean."

Without another word, the two continued running to the beach. After a grand total of seven minutes, they reached their destination and saw that the others were already waiting for them with the yellow T-car. They quickly hopped into the back with Mas and Menos and buckled their seat belts as Bumble Bee stepped on the gas and sped down the road towards Jump. After both father and son had caught their breaths, they began explaining the situation.

"Selina called us about ten minutes ago," Andrew started. "She was scared, and it looked like she was hiding from something- or someone."

"She told us that they got a call and went to the Jump City mall to catch the criminal, and from what we understood, the guy was too tough for them to handle. Halfway through explaining, she looked away from the screen and it sounded like someone was threatening or attacking her, I don't know which," Cyborg said.

"I think the guy they were aiming to catch found her," Andrew said.

"Alright," Bumble Bee said, "when we get there, everyone needs to be on their guard- we don't know what we're going to be up against. We also don't know what condition your team mates are in, Andrew, so be prepared for the worst."

Andrew nodded, and braced himself for whatever they might find upon entering the mall.

**Again, I am SO SORRY that it took me this long to get this chapter out. Was it worth the wait? I had some trouble trying to write this chapter (mostly in the descrptions), so I hope you guys understand everything that I tried to convey. Please forgive me! TT I never intended for it to take this long...**

**On a lighter note, guess what? I got and orange and white Tabby cat with icy blue eyes. And... I named him Covyll! This reminds me of ELLIEdangerous, who got a cat and named it Yuho, hehehe (happy smiles). **

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to flame me for taking so long to update.**

**---Later! (and again, I'm sorry!)**


	30. Hired

**Hey, guys! Wo0t! We got to chapter thirty! Booyah:) (sigh) It's been taking me longer amounts of time than usual to get these chapters out. Sorry about that! Procrastination mixed with writer's block and a helping of homework is what's stopping me from getting these out sooner. 'Tis the sad sad life of an eighth grader...lol. **

**Oh yes, and let's not forget being sick since Saturday. Mono (or "the kissing disease"--I haven't kissed anyone! ) AND myco. I hate being sick, but at least I'm not bedridden.**

**Not much else to say except for thank you for the reviews, check out the chapter, and I hope you enjoy!**

**---Later!**

**Disclaimer: Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I do not own the Teen Titans.**

Ch. 30: Hired

Upon arriving at the Jump City mall, the six Titans saw that Cyborg's T-car had not yet left, which meant that the other teens should still be inside. The group quickly made their way to the mall's entrance and paused at the door, listening for any signs of life within. Hearing nothing, Bumble Bee opened the door and ran in, her team and family following behind her. The six of them ran foreward and reached the escalators in no time, but they did not expect what they saw. The walls, floor, and ceiling were cracked and burned, with the occasional smear of blood dripping downward; the escalators themselves looked as though a giant dinasaur had fallen onto them. Additionally, there were random fist-sized craters, as well as deep scratch marks along the left wall.

In the center of it all, Sebastian and James were arguing loudly with each other, both equally bloodied and bruised from the fight. Changeling, who had apparently been thrown into a wall and knocked out, had regained consciousness and was being cared for by Kimi, who also sported injuries; Selina wasn't anywhere to be found. Mas and Menos ran all around the mall searching for Selina, but came back seconds later empty handed. Cyborg went to Changeling to make sure he was fine, then did the same for Kimi. Andrew and Bumble Bee decided to find out what Sebastian and James were arguing about, so they walked up to the two teens and tried to make sense of the fight.

"-told you already, we can't go in this condition!" Sebastian exclaimed, thoroughly annoyed with the entire situation, as well as fatigued. Apparently, this answer wasn't good enough for his teammate.

"Yes, you told me that we cannot go and save Selina until we've rested. But have you thought about my sister yet, hm? Do you think _she's_ resting, too? Do you think she's safe and sound, and that there's nothing to worry about? Well, _do_ you?" James spoke, his voice dangerous and intimidating. Even so, it betrayed his exhaustion.

"You know damn well I don't think that," Sebastian responded, now angry with James. "It would be senseless to start running around the city without any leads, and _suicidal_ to try and fight this guy again without a trump card!"

Impulsively, James shot his left fist out so it was pointed at Andrew and Bumble Bee, then in the same movement, he swiftly swung his arm so it was pointed at Sebastian; the latter was blown back seven yards by a gust of wind. Bumble Bee immediately felw in front of James and grabbed his left wrist to stop him from attacking anymore, earning an evil glare from James. She disregarded this and glared back, completely tumultuous due to the teen's behavior. Andrew ran over to Sebastian to make sure he was okay.

"_What_ is going on here?" Bumble Bee demanded, letting go of James and putting her hands on her hips. James looked away angrily and kept his mouth shut.

"Selina was kidnapped," Kimi said, walking over to the Titans East leader. Bumble Bee was slightly suprised, although she had gathered that something of the like must have happened.

"And who took her?"

"We don't know his name..." Kimi responded.

"When we asked him who he was," Sebastian said, "he made nine different signs with his hands. I assumed he was speaking sign language, but I could be wrong."

"Can you remember the signs?" Cyborg asked, walking over with Changeling. Sebastian shook his head.

"...I can..." James said unwillingly; he didn't care who the attacker was, he just wanted the guy to be dead already!

Cyborg nodded encouragingly, and James held up his left hand and copied their villain's movements exactly, while Cyborg translated it using his arm.

"D-O-M-I-N-I-Q-U-E," Cyborg spelled. "The dude's name is Dominique; interesting name."

"Let's head back to your tower," Speedy said to Cyborg. "We can use your computers to figure out who this guy is, and maybe find out how to catch him."

Everyone agreed with this plan -minus James, who was still angry- and they all headed back to the tower for some well deserved rest before they went searching for Selina and Dominique.

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Meanwhile, Rune was in a Barnse & Knoble a few blocks from her apartment, in the Raya City mall. While reading the prologue for a book called Surrender, she heard beeping noises coming from her back pack. Slightly confused, she slid it off of her shoulder and peeked inside. She realized that it was her communicator going off, and so she grabbed and answered it, slipping her back pack on once more. As she looked at the screen, she immediately felt shocked, angry, and slightly afraid; Selina was in a dark corner, chained by her wrists to a wall with her feet on the floor. She looked like she had been in a battle -which she undoubtedly had been- and she was crying.

"Selina, what happened?" Rune asked, her serious tone containing an enraged edge to it. Selina looked off screen for a moment, then looked at Rune.

"R-Rune, I n-need y-your help. P-please, there is-isn't any t-time to w-waste. He w-wants you t-to come h-here a-alone, as f-fast as y-you can-n," she replied, the tears falling faster, making it harder for Rune to understand her speech.

"Who did this to you?" Selina shook her head, clenching her eyes shut. Rune heard a snap, and Selina looked off screen again. Immediately her eyes went wide, and she began shaking her head forcefully.

"N-no, please! Don't!" She looked back at Rune with pleading eyes, then said, "R-Rune p-please, I c-can exp-plain everything l-later, just- just-!" At this point, she broke down crying, unable to speak clearly.

"Okay, I understand. Can you tell me where you are?" Rune asked.

After a moment or so, Selina composed herself and looked back at the screen. "G-go to the pier, o-okay? W-we'll be w-waiting th-there for y-you." Rune nodded in understanding. "B-but please, y-you have t-to come al-alone. Please..."

"I'm on my way."

Rune closed her communicator and shoved it back in her bag, put the book she'd been holding back on the shelf, and ran out of the store as fast as she could, careful to dodge passersby. She ran all the way to the front of the mall and out the door, ignoring the stares other shoppers were giving her as she went past. As she made her way through the parking lot, she began formulating a plan with the help of her emotions.

_'I have to save Selina. I cannot tell anyone where I am or bring reinforcements. I know nothing about my opponent, neither powers nor personality. I don't know what's happened to Selina other than she was abducted. I would call the others and ask them, but then they'd know I knew where she was, and they'd trace me to the pier. My plan...I have no plan; I'll act on impulse and wit alone.'_

Suicide! Selina may be shy, but she's not weak! And _she_ knows how to _use_ her powers! You only have the power to heal, how will that help you?

**Fear:** W-what if the villain has powers greater than y-yours or the Titans'? What if you get hurt, or w-worse...?

**Sadness: **No! I don't want you to die! (crying)

_'Silence! I am _not_ going to die, alright? And who are _you_ to tell me that I can't use my powers?'_

Power, as in _singular._ And you can't! You only have one, you know, and you haven't even been practicing with it.

_'If I volunteered at a hospital, would you shut up?'_

Fine, fine, go kill yourself, see if I care...but for the love of SOMETHING, _please _come up with a better plan!

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Rune arrived at the pier fifteen minutes later, panting heavily and slightly sweating from her four mile run. She stopped by the base of the ferris wheel to catch her breath and look around, not seeing Selina or her captor anywhere. Lucky for her it began to rain as soon as she could breathe easier. After a few minutes, she composed herself and began walking around, looking for any sign of her friend. She walked for almost ten minutes, getting soaked to the bone, before she made it to the entertainment stage. She looked onto the stage after seeing movement in her peripheral vison and saw Selina. She was lying on the ground unconscious, with a black..._thing_...that Rune could not identify binding her arms and legs to her body. Without stopping to think, Rune pulled herself onto the stage and ran towards her friend, only to be cut off by a teen with long silver hair and light pink eyes.

"Who are you and what did you do to Selina?" Rune demanded, getting into one of the many defensive positions she had learned while at Titans Tower. Instead of answering verbally, the silver-haired teen pulled out a note pad and a pen.

"_Dominique_," he wrote with slanted, narrow handwriting.

Rune was slightly confused that he refused to speak, but ignored it for the time being. "And what do you want with Selina?"

Dominique wrote again, then showed the pad to Rune. "_It's not _Selina _I'm after. It's _you." Rune paled, though her voice did not betray her uneasiness.

"Okay, what do you want with me then?"

"_I want to kill you_," he wrote.

Rune took an unconscious step back and her eyes widened slightly in shock as she stared at the arrogant boy in front of her. Why in the world would he want to kill _her?_ She'd never met him before, so she couldn't have possibly offended him or anything. Perhaps he was hired? The only people who would wish her harm were...every single last person at her school, but surely they didn't hate her enough to want her to _die,_ right? As Rune pondered over these thoughts, Dominique wrote more on the paper -which Rune noticed was sheilded by the same black substance that bound Selina, as to not be ruined by the rain- then once more showed the paper to his target.

"_I can make it painless, so don't worry about that. And once I finish I'll let the Titans know where you and Selina are; I have everything taken care of._" Oddly enough, when Rune looked back up at Dominique's face, he was smiling a rather kind smile; she could tell it was genuine, and that's what concerned her.

"Why do you want to kill me, then?" Rune asked, trying to buy time to think of a plan.

"_I might as well tell you, since you're going to die anyway. I was hired by another villain to assassinate you. And don't ask me who- it's a secret."_

"Thank you, that clears everything up," Rune said sarcastically, now extremely curious as to who wanted her dead. It wasn't the kids from school- they were brats, not miscreants. Dominique smirked and wrote more on the paper.

"_It's not that uncommon, really. You're a Titan _and_ the daughter of Raven and the infamous Red X. It's inevitable that someone might want you dead, for revenge or some other purpose. Be glad they didn't ask for me to bring you back _alive_- you probably would have been tortured, if that was the case._"

Rune's eyes narrowed in a cold glare. "And how would _you_ know who my parents are?"

"_A good assassin always does his research. Now, shall we proceed?_"

"I appreciate the amenity, but I'm afraid I won't be dying any time soon," Rune said.

_'At least, I _hope_ not. Maybe that dream was foretelling _**my**_ death...'_

Dominique sighed. "_I was really hoping you wouldn't drag this out- your death is unavoidable._"

"Not if _I_ have anything to say about it," Rune said confidently.

Without warning, the black substance that was binding Selina and protecting the notepad merged together and stood in front of Rune's friend in the shape of...Dominique? Rune had no time to figure out what the stuff was before the life-sized inky replica leapt towards her, aiming a punch to her jaw. She jumped to the left and turned in time to see Dominique standing in front of her. Faster than her eyes could follow, he grabbed Rune's arms while his copy -_'Could it be a shadow?'_ Rune thought absently- wound itself around her legs and up to her shoulders, rendering her motionless. As Rune struggled in vain to free herself, Dominique stepped back and wrote another message on his note pad.

"_Please don't make me hurt you, Rune. I'd rather not have to._"

"How ironic; an assassin who doesn't want to hurt their victim," Rune said bitterly, ceasing her fruitless attempts at getting free. From the corner of her eye, she saw Selina begining to move, and hoped that Dominique hadn't noticed. She decided to try and hold his attention as long as she could, in hopes that maybe Selina could get away unscathed. "Why is it that you don't want to hurt me, yet you want me to die?"

Dominique thought for a moment with his hand on his chin and his eyes towards the sky, then he smirked lightheartedly and wrote a reply. "_I have no idea! It _is_ rather odd, huh? Eh, what can I say? -I like you._"

Rune blinked a few times, and Dominique laughed silently at her confusion.

"_That didn't clear it up?_" he asked. Rune shook her head.

"It doesn't make sense... You don't _kill_ the people you like! Were you raised in an _insane asylum _or something?" She asked incredulously.

"_Maybe,_" Dominique replied. From the look on his face, Rune could tell that he was joking. "_Now, any more questions before I kill you?_"

Rune thought for a moment, trying to buy more time; Selina was standing and watching the two of them now, and it was obvious that she was formulating a plan. Just as the younger girl vanished into thin air, Rune thought of another question.

"Out of curiosity, and forgive me if I offend you -_'I'm worried about offending an assassin?' _she thought- but are you mute?"

Dominique smiled, and wrote her another reply. "_Yep, for the past two years, at least. It helps with the whole assassinating thing, though- it's easier to be quiet, hehehe._"

Rune nodded in understanding, then sighed. "I still don't plan on letting you kill me, no matter how polite you are."

"_And I still don't plan on letting you live, no matter how much I like you,_" Dominique countered.

Rune smirked, and said, "Have it your way, then."

Before Dominique could react to what she had just said, he was kicked forcefully from behind and landed on his hands and knees. A split second later, he was standing with his back to Rune, facing nothing, or so it seemed. Selina appeared before him a moment later in a fighting stance, glaring slightly and tense with caution. Dominique rubbed the back of his head in embarassment after realizing that he had let his bait escape, then ducked as Selina ran foreward with her claws extended, prepared to slash him in two. As she missed, he slid behind her and grabbed her arms, holding them behind her back tightly. Selina impulsively kicked his shin as hard as she could, and the three teens all heard a loud crack at the impact. Rune saw Dominique's face contort slightly in pain, and he kneed Selina in the back, which in turn caused her to fall to her knees.

In the blink of an eye, Dominique was seated on Selina's back, holding a blade made from his shadow. Selina struggled for a moment until the blade was pressed harder into her neck, making her freeze. Rune's eyes widened and she glared at their opponent.

"Hey! You said you were after me, not her- let her go!"

A third part of Dominique's shadow formed into two hands, which held and wrote on the pad of paper, then displayed it for Rune to see.

"_I can't help it if she interferes. If she keeps fighting like this, I swear, I will have no problems with killing her first. It would be wise to let her know this."_

Rune could see no other option at the moment, so she spoke to her fallen friend. "Selina, please stay out of this. He's after me, not you -there's no reason for you to get hurt."

"But Rune, I-!"

"No!" Rune interrupted. "I won't let my friends die if _I_ can prevent it. Now listen to me and _stand down_!"

Selina really didn't want to listen to the commands, but she respected Rune and wanted to make her happy. Even so, she couldn't honestly be expected to just stand by and watch her friend be _murdered!_ However, considering that Dominique was much _much_ stronger than her, and that Rune was practically ordering her not to interfere, Selina went limp in surrender. Dominique got off of her and stepped back towards Rune, making his shadow parts meld together and form a dome around Rune and himself so that Selina could not interrupt. Additionally, she also could not see what was happening inside.

"No!" She yelled, running up and pounding on the enclosure to no avail. "Rune!" She reached down to grab her communicator, but was beaten by an inky hand outstretching from the dome; it sucked her communicator into the shadows and away from it's owner. "Damn it!" Selina yelled, as she fell to her knees and slammed her fists on the ground, tears pouring out of her eyes.

Inside the bubble it was completely black, and Rune could not see a thing. This wasn't the case for Dominique, apparently, because she could sense him walking towards her unhaltingly. Suddenly, a small hole appeared at the top of the covering, allowing light to filter through -it was just enough light to read by. Dominique held his note pad and pen in hand and wrote Rune another message.

"_This is strange...I don't think I should kill you,_" he wrote. Rune rose an eyebrow at this, although she had slightly been expecting it.

"Then what will you do?" she asked.

"_I'm going to let you go._"

"Uh huh. Why the change of mind?" she asked curiously.

Dominique took a moment to think before writing his response, then held to paper under the light for her to see, disregarding the drops of water that landed on it.

"_I am not your average assassin. I act impulsively. Example: if someone wants me to kill their husband, but I don't feel like it's a good idea, I don't. And if someone wants me to kill their enemy, but I think she's too interesting and too kind a person, then I refuse to._"

Rune gave a small smile to Dominique after reading the message.

"So you're not going to kill me?" He shook his head in reply, and she sighed in relief. "Thank you." After a moment, she spoke again. "Sit down, Dominique." He gave her a questioning look, but complied; she was no threat to him.

Rune placed her hands over the injury on Dominique's left leg and concentrated, hoping that she could help him. After a moment of silence, her hands began to glow a shimmering sliver color, and she put all her energy into healing his fractured leg. Minutes later, the job was done, and Dominique no longer felt the pain. He smiled at Rune, who smiled back. The older teen then grabbed his paper and wrote Rune another message.

"_I cannot thank you enough, but we're not quite even yet. I think you deserve to know who hired me to kill you..._"

**Okay! I wrote it, I made it really long, and I sincerely hope that you guys enjoyed it! Dominique is a very weird person, but that's why he's such a cool villain:) Anyway, please review this chapter! And again, I'm sorry that these are taking me longer to get out.**

**---Later!**


	31. Shadowed Intent

**WOOT! This story has reached 200 reviews:-) Yayness! TWO HUNDRED! Thank you very much, guys, for reviewing. I'm so happy! Well anyway, enough of my ranting on about the wonderful two hundred reviews I have for this. I'm sorry I haven't been updating when I should, but it would take too long to give you my excuses, so just read the next chapter, okay?**

**Great.**

**---Jaime**

**Oh yeah, and 'Dominique' is both a male and female name, but it's used primarily for girls. I just wanted him to have a pretty name, since he himself is so pretty.**

**Disclaimer: The Teen Titans don't belong to me. Yet.**

Ch. 31: Shadowed Intent

The rain was still coming down like a waterfall over Raya City as Rune stared in suprise at Dominique. The dome-shaped shadow still surrounded them to protect them from the cold and rain; it was getting dark. Dominique let out an inaudible sigh as Rune reread his most recent note repeatedly, then watched as her expression of shock slowly became that of anger. Rune handed the note pad back to its owner and voiced her current thoughts.

"Did they say why?" She asked. Her voice contained a carefully hidden tone of irritation. Dominique wrote his reply and held the pad out for her to see.

"_I'm a little reluctant to tell you..._"

"Dominique, please, I just want to know _why_," Rune pleaded, bright blue eyes meeting light pink.

"_...Fine, fine._" Dominique gave another sigh and wrote all that he knew down onto the paper.

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Selina was sitting on a bench a few feet from the inky dome that held her friend captive. The rain hadn't let up at all since it started, so she was now soaked to the bone and shivering. However, she refused to move an inch until she knew what became of Rune. She had already tried breaking through the shadow with her claws, but only succeeded in ripping two of them from her fingers. Now she sat alone, with no other option but to wait.

_'I'm sorry, Rune. I don't even want to think about what might be happening to her! If only I had been just a little bit faster, I'd-!'_ Selina sighed and rubbed her temples gently with her index fingers, trying to clear her head. _'I need to think of a plan. I need to catch Dominique off guard, no matter how...incredibly strong and frightening he is...'_

Ten minutes later, the shadowed dome fell and Dominique stepped out. The rain poured mercilessly down upon him as his shadow fell in place beneath him, where it should be. He turned around with his yellow notepad in hand, prepared to show Rune his latest message. But at the same time, a loud **SMACK!** was heard and he fell foreward, catching himself with his hands. Rune was suprised and looked beyond him to see nothing, at first. Then, Selina materialized out of thin air, her hands covering her wide smile in shock and embarrassment.

"Rune! You're alive!" Selina yelled, a rarity to those who know her. She ran towards Rune, jumping over the fallen Dominique in the process, and hugged her friend tightly.

"Selina...," Rune choked out, "I need air...or I won't be alive...much longer..." Selina immediately released her and stepped back, blushing slightly. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Dominique, looking down at her with an annoyed expression; she looked at the ground sheepishly, muttering an apology.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you were..."

"Dead?" Rune offered; Selina nodded. "On the contrary. As you can see, I'm perfectly alive. We need to get you back to the Tower, Selina, so you can get cleaned up." Selina nodded in agreement, and Rune turned to Dominique. "Thank you," she said, expressing every ounce of her gratitude in two simple words.

Dominique smiled and held up his left hand, contorting it into different signs. Rune looked puzzled for a moment, until Selina nodded and translated what Dominique was trying to say.

"He says that he wishes you luck on your 'adventurous journey', and if you ever need him, he's in the phone book," she said.

_'Isn't that a little dangerous for an assassin?'_ Rune thought parenthetically.

Dominique held out Selina's communicator and she grabbed it enthusiastically; she opened it right away and called the others. He then gave a flourishing bow and disappeared in a swirl of shadows. Rune stood behind Selina and stared at the small screen of her communicator as they waited for the others to answer. A man with shoulder-length black hair, matching onyx eyes, and a black and blue unitard with white lightning stripes answered the call. He looked suprised for a moment, then he grinned and called to someone off-screen.

"You can stop worrying now, Covyll. We found your girlfriend."

"Selina!" several voices yelled out simultaneously. Aqualad pressed a few buttons on the control panel of the large television/computer, and Selina's and Rune's faces could be seen on the giant screen. They could also now see everyone else in the room.

"Selina, you're okay!" Kimi cried out joyfully. Selina smiled and nodded.

"Rune saved me," Selina said.

"Not exactly," Rune mumbled, but Selina ignored her.

"Um, where's James?" Selina asked.

"Here," he said, loud enough for his sister to hear. She looked to the left and saw him walk on-screen; she could see the relief in his eyes.

"Stay where you are," Aqualad said. "We'll come and get you; we have your location already."

"No problem," Rune said, and Selina ended the transmission.

When the screen went black, Aqualad turned to the others in the room and said, "Okay, so who's coming with me?"

"I'm driving," Cyborg said.

"I'm going," James and Covyll said at once.

Hearing no other takers, Aqualad and Cyborg walked out of the main room, followed by Covyll and James. The four males went down the elevator and to the garage, then hopped into the T-car and drove away. Aqualad sat in the front passenger seat, while Cyborg drove.

"So, those two were Selina and Rune?" the former asked.

"Yeah, Rune has the blue hair," Cyborg said. "Though I don't know why she was there," he added as an afterthought.

"Selina said she saved her, right?" Covyll asked.

"Rune denied it," James pointed out stoically.

"We'll ask when we get there," Aqualad said. "So, Selina's the girl you like?" he asked, looking at his son through the rear-view mirror. Covyll blushed lightly and looked out the window, mumbling a 'yes'. James stared at him with an unreadable expression. "She's pretty," Aqualad stated casually.

James was suddenly glaring furiously at Aqualad, and everyone noticed. Covyll inched away from the red-head, and Cyborg prepared to pull over, if need be. Aqualad was slightly confused as to why James was glaring at him...and why it was windy in the car, yet the windows were all up. He turned in his seat to face the sixteen-year-old, while Cyborg pulled off onto the shoulder of the highway.

"Was it something I said?" Aqualad asked James, who's eyes were narrowed into slits. He didn't reply.

"Hey! I have an idea! Let's just forget about it and go get Rune and Selina!" Covyll suggested with enthusiasm. Cyborg nodded with a hopeful smile, but James and Aqualad disagreed.

"You hate me now because I said your sister is pretty?" Aqualad asked incredulously. The gale in the car grew more intense.

"He didn't mean anything by it, man," Covyll said. "It was just an offhand remark, that's all."

The wind died down and James looked away, yet the other three could still feel the ardent displeasure radiating off of him. Cyborg restarted the T-car and continued driving down the long stretch of pavement; James stared out of his window for the remainder of the trip. Aqualad still didn't understand why the teen reacted the way he did, but decided not to talk about it just yet. Covyll and Cyborg were simply thankful that they didn't have to break up a fight, and opted to change the subject.

"So what do you think about this Dominique guy?" Covyll asked.

"The guy sounds pretty tough to have beaten the five of you," Cyborg answered, looking at James expectantly. James's eyes never left the window, but he spoke regardless.

"Dominique has...a unique power. He molds his shadow into different forms, such as himself, a blade, or a shield. He can also make it solid or otherwise. Powers aside, he has pretty good martial arts skills. He is...strong. _Too_ strong of an opponent for any of us alone," James finished.

"I wonder what he wanted with your sister?" Cyborg asked. None of the others could give him an answer.

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When the four of them reached the pier, James and Covyll got out to look for Selina and Rune. They were instantly soaked as they stepped out into the chilling rain, but ignored the sensation in order to find their team mates. After a few minutes of wandering, they saw the two girls standing underneath the awning of the food court. Simultaneously, Rune and Selina spotted them and walked towards them quickly, in hopes of getting out of the rain faster. The four teens began the short walk back to the T-car on silence.

Selina sat on Covyll's lap in the back on the right side, a light blush showing itself due to her situation. Rune sat in the middle seat, and James sat next to her by the window, once again staring out into the rain. Once everyone was settled, Cyborg started the car and drove off; that's when the questions began.

"So what happened, Selina?" Covyll asked. "What did Dominique do to you?" Aqualad opened his communicator and let those at the Tower hear this story, as well, so they could avoid another hour of repetition.

"Well," Selina started, "when he kidnapped me..."

**FLASHBACK: **(haven't had one of these in a while, have we?)

The six weary Titans had been fighting their hardest against Dominique for nearly two hours, and their stamina was running out. The atmosphere was tense as Kimi threw a barrage of fireballs at the older villain, each shot deflected by his protective shadow. After a particularly powerful shot was fired and deflected, Dominique was blown hundreds of feet in the air and hit the ceiling, breaking off large pieces which fell to the ground. After a second, gravity took its course, and Dominique began to fall. Fortunately for him, his shadow swirled around him and protected him from meeting his death. More winds began to blow even stronger than their predecessors, attempting to throw him into a wall. It was all in vain, however, as inky knives flew out from the villain's direction towards James, who nearly missed being impaled.

Our heroes weren't faring too well. Changeling had been thrown into a wall, and was lying unconcious in a crumpled heap on the floor. Kimi and James had exhausted their powers, and were breathing heavily on either side of the large room. Selina was tending to Sebastian, trying to stop the external hemorrhaging from a large cut on his leg, Andrew wasn't much better off; he was currently on the ground a few feet from James, after nearly being crushed to death by shadows for hitting Dominique below the belt.

Even our villain grew tired of this game, and knew that he needed to act fast if he wanted to get his job over with. He slowly closed his pink eyes and clasped his hands together before his face. The five teens watched with interest and mild apprehension, waiting to see what would happen. A full minute later, his eyes shot open as his arms spread out to his sides, palms flattening in the movement. Immediately it was pitch black inside the mall; no one could see, or even _hear_ what was going on, until a minute later when the darkness faded and the light returned.

After looking around, they realized that Dominique had gotten away. And he'd taken Selina with him.

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"L-let me go!" Selina demanded angrily, yet somewhat pleadingly. She didn't remember what had happened after the blackout at the mall, only that the two of them had arrived inside this building moments later. Dominique held her tightly by the wrists and was dragging her down the stairs of an apartment building to what looked like a basement. It was extremely dark, so Selina was walking cautiously as to not run into anything. Her captor, however, was able to see perfectly no matter the lighting, and continued leading her. She heard the sounds of chains clattering against one another and instantly went rigid, eyes wide in fear.

Dominique was pulling her closer to himself, and she was resisting forcefully, her survival instincts taking over. She blindly aimed a kick, and succeeded in hitting the other teen in the stomach. When he released her wrists out of shock, she stumbled backwards and backed into a wall. She moved to the left, hoping to find her way out of the darkness and to the stairs, but had no such luck. As she moved, she bumped into a table, and she heard the faint clank of metal on metal. She put a hand on the table cautiously, and felt around for whatever was there -perhaps she would find a weapon to defend herself with? When her hand made contact with a firm, leathery rope of sorts, she followed it down to its tip; her hand was sliced with jagged shards of glass protruding from the leather. With startling realization, she realized that the object was a whip.

_'Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! I-it's a table of torture devices!'_

As Selina began to tremble, she heard Dominique's voiceless chuckle in front of her. In quick, smoothe movements, he grabbed her by the arms and slammed her against another wall, momentarily disorienting her. Then, he took hold of the chains she had heard earlier and shackled her to the wall by her wrists. He stpped away from her, then began walking away, but turned back as he heard her sniffle. There she was, chained to his wall in the darkness with no idea what might happen to her, crying softly. He walked silently over to her and gently wiped away a fallen tear from her cheek.

"Shh," he silenced her softly. Using his shadow, he turned on a small lamp on his desk a few feet away. After her eyes adjusted to the light, he signed, "_Do you understand this?_"

"Y-yes," she replied, trying to control her fear.

"_Yay! Ahem. Let us get down to business, shall we? You know Rune Falle, yes or no?_"

"Yes..."

"_Good! And she has a Titans communicator, correct?_" A nod of the head from Selina. "_Perfect. we need Rune here, now. But you're going to have to talk to her, because I -obviously- can't. Besides, it's much more dramatic to have her see you chained up like this; she will come faster that way."_

Selina looked afraid. "Wh-what do you want her f-for?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"_That is none of your concern,_" He replied quickly; Selina barely had time to catch it all. Dominique walked closer to her and reached into her pocket -feeling her shiver of discomfort and fear as he did- and pulled out her communicator. He turned it on and dialed for Rune, then held the screen facing his bait.

When the screen came to life, more tears fell from Selina's eyes. She could have sworn she saw a look of sympathy on Dominique's face, but she couldn't be too sure; it had passed in an instant.

"Selina, what happened?" Rune asked angrily. Selina started shaking when she replied.

"R-Rune, I n-need y-your help. P-please, there is-isn't any t-time to w-waste. He w-wants you t-to come h-here a-alone, as f-fast as y-you can-n," she replied, the tears falling faster, making it harder for Rune to understand her speech.

"Who did this to you?" Selina shook her head, clenching her eyes shut. There was a snap, and she looked away from Rune at Dominique.

"_You need to work faster,_" he signed. "_Or should I introduce your brother to that whip you found? I'm sure that would be more fun..._"

"N-no, please! Don't!" She looked back at Rune with pleading eyes, then said, "R-Rune p-please, I c-can exp-plain everything l-later, just- just-!" At this point, she broke down crying, unable to speak clearly.

"Okay, I understand. Can you tell me where you are?" Rune asked.

After a moment or so, Selina composed herself and looked back at the screen. "G-go to the pier, o-okay? W-we'll be w-waiting th-there for y-you." Rune nodded in understanding. "B-but please, y-you have t-to come al-alone. Please..."

"I'm on my way."

The screen went blank and Dominique closed the communicator, then set it down on his special table as he walked over to Selina.

"_That was excellent, Selina. Thank you for your help._" Selina closed her eyes and turned her head away from him, her bottom lip quivering as a few more tears fell from her cat-like yellow eyes. Dominique held her chin and forced her to face him. She opened her eyes and began to feel drowsy, no doubt from the cloth he had pressed against her mouth. "_There's no need to cry..._"

Then her world went black once more.

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It took Rune and Selina until they were flying over the bay and towards the Tower to finish their story. By that point in time, James and Covyll hated Dominique with a passion, wheras Cyborg and Aqualad were a bit confused about his personality. They all understood what happened, though; someone hired an assassin to kill Rune, and used Selina as the bait to lure her in. When they were finally parked in the garage, they were greeted by the others, who had heard the whole story via Aqualad's communicator. They got out and headed for the main room. Once there, Sebastian voiced the question everyone had been dying to ask.

"So, did he say who wants you dead, Rune?" he asked, a hint of anger poorly hidden in his tone. Rune glared balefully at the ground.

"...His name is fang...He's Cassidy Moth's father..."

**Dun dun DUUUUUUNNN!!! Come on, how could you _not_ see that coming? Anyway, sorry it took me so long to update...AGAIN. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon...er. Oh, and am I the only one who noticed that the chapter title has absolutely nothing to do with the chapter? Eh, whatever.**

**YEAH-- check out the challenge I posted in the profile! TRY IT! Please please please!!**

**---Later!**


	32. Growing Up

**Cool! Thanks for the reviews, people. They make me happy when I read them! I hope this chapter will be more interesting... Sorry it took me so long to update. I've had major writers block, but it might be going away now (not to mention that I was grounded…sorry!!). Anyway, not much else to say.**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine, so quit asking.**

Ch. 32: Growing Up

"_Fang?_" Changeling asked incredulously. "No way! This girl hates you so much she'd-?" Rune nodded in response to the shocked adult.

"What did you do to _her_?" Covyll asked unwisely; Rune glared hatefully at him.

"Oh yes," she said, "because it has to be _my _fault, right? It's just impossible for Cassidy and her group of _witches_ to be spoiled, jealous _children,_ isn't it?"

"Rune, you know that Covyll's an idiot. Don't take anything he says to heart," Andrew said with a smile. Covyll crossed his arms and looked away. Rune smiled, but her eyes will still filled with hate.

"True," Rune said, earning herself a glare from Covyll. "Hm… Andrew, can you please drive me somewhere?" Said boy's eyes flashed white for a split second as he delved into her plotful mind. When he found out where she wanted to go, he looked at her questioningly.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, confusing everyone in the room minus Rune and himself. She nodded her head surely, and he sighed. "If you insist…"

"Before we go," Rune started, "would you guys like me to heal your wounds? Dominique seems to have done a painful number on you." Hearing no objections, Rune instructed each of her friends sit on the couch and healed them one at a time. She wanted to grin as she saw the silver energy envelope each wound and seal it, not leaving so much as a scar. Her power to heal never ceased to amaze her, and she found herself very proud of that particular ability.

Once the injured Titans were mended, Andrew led Rune out of the main room and down to the garage. The two were already seated and ready to leave when the back doors opened and the other teens climbed in. As always, James sat on the left looking out the window. Covyll sat in the middle with Selina on his lap, the latter too absorbed in her thoughts to blush, as she normally would have. Sebastian sat to the right of them, and Kimi was by the window. Rune looked back at her friends and gave a small smile, happy that they decided to come along for a reason even she herself did not know. Andrew, however, looked back at the others with a question in his eyes.

"What?" Covyll asked his friend. Andrew sighed and shook his head, then started the T-car and drove out across the undulating water of the moonlit bay. "So, Rune, where are we headed?" Covyll asked. Rune remained silent, and Andrew –when asked the same question- did not answer, either. "Fine, then. Just ignore me, why don't you?"

"Okay," Andrew said with a smile.

The seven teens reached the mainland and Andrew began driving through the city towards the highway. No one really felt like striking up a conversation, so no one tried to. What was there to talk about? Okay, so they were nearly killed, big deal. Regardless, it seemed like they were all mimicking James with how quiet they were. They reached the highway after fifteen minutes, and Andrew speeded up to seventy-five miles per hour. Surprisingly, there were not many people out on the road, though it was only about nine. Andrew would occasionally glance over at Rune with his eyebrows drawn together in perplexity, though no one knew exactly why.

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Okay, I understand that you're mad, but honestly! This is stupid, Rune, and you know it. 

_'It _is_ stupid, but it will make me feel better.'_

For a little while, at most! What happens when you go to school Monday and everyone's trying to _kill_ you because of this? Is your pathetic little schoolgirl revenge really _worth it_?

'_This isn't "school-girl" revenge! This is getting back at them for everything they've ever done to me. And it _is_ worth it.'_

What will you accomplish by beating up Cassidy and the others, huh? Will that make you feel better about yourself? Will you be proud? Better yet, what will your _parents_ think?

'…_Who cares?'_

Do you think _Sebastian_ would care? Or _any_ of your friends, for that matter? What about the Titans? Will _they_ approve, too? You need to think before you act, Rune!

**Loneliness: **You really have no idea, do you?

Feel free to enlighten me, oh Silent One!

**Loneliness:**…Before you start yelling at someone you practically just met…you should take the time to get to know them…and try to understand them, not attack them like this…

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Smarty decided to remain quiet for the remainder of the trip, as did Loneliness and Rune. For the next half an hour, no one said a word. They were all exhausted, and the back seat passengers were curious as to where they were going. Sebastian had tried thinking about it and came up with the answer just as Andrew merged to the right and onto the exit ramp; he looked up at Rune with a stern expression and tried to persuade her to change her mind.

"You know how dangerous this is, right?" he demanded. Everyone in the car looked back and forth between the two teens, wondering what Sebastian meant.

"I do," Rune replied. "And I don't care."

"_I _do! And as a Titan I won't let you go bully them for-"

"_I'm _bullying _them? _They tried to have me _killed_ for goodness sake, Sebastian! You can't expect me to just sit back and let it happen again –my next assassin might not _be_ so kind. Enough is enough, and I have had it up to here-"she raised her hand up to eye-level, "-with those pathetic _girls_."

"No, I don't want you to ignore it. What I want you to do is handle it _responsibly._ Call the police –call the _Titans_, for crying out loud! Retaliating against them could land you in a _courtroom,_ and we can't save you there!"

"Good." Surprisingly the one to speak was not Rune. Sebastian and the others looked at James to continue. James looked at each person in the car asynchronously, then turned to look back out of his window into the night. "She'll never be able to live on her own if we're always fighting her battles," he said before falling silent once more.

Though no one wanted to admit it, James was mostly correct. Rune needed to learn to solve her conflicts with her classmates alone, without outside interference. The group's conversation ended as Andrew drove into a quiet neighborhood somewhere in uptown Raya City. Without asking, he already knew which house belonged to Cassidy Moth, and drove down Grayson Drive to get there. It was a large mansion on the left side, and as expected, a few lights were on. Andrew parked by the sidewalk in front of the house and took the keys out of the ignition. He looked to Rune for further instructions.

"Wait here," she said to all of them as she climbed out of the car and shut her door. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Rune, hold on," Sebastian said, climbing over Kimi to get out and stand in front of the girl. "I can't let you go in there if you're going to hurt them. It's unlawful, and as a Titan I can't just sit back and let it happen."

"Attempted assassination is unlawful, as well, but I don't see you doing anything about _that_," she countered. Sebastian glared halfheartedly at his friend, and she sighed in response. "I'm not going to hurt them. I'll just yell at them, okay? But if they attack me, I won't hold back." Sebastian nodded his head with a small smirk.

"Deal." Without another word, Rune left the others and went up to the front door. The six remaining could see her ring the bell, and then they watched as she exchanged words with an elderly man. He nodded his head and stood to the side so that she could enter, then closed the door behind her.

"Well, that's that," Kimi said as Sebastian hopped into the front with Andrew. "All we can do now is wait."

The other teens silently agreed as they sat there waiting for their friend to return. Andrew, however, was focusing on the second floor window on the right-hand side, and he was smiling slightly. Sebastian looked from the teen to the window and back again, and then he put two and two together and smiled.

"So, what are they saying?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, that Cassidy girl is seriously angry. She's just cursing Rune out, and those girls Janet and Synthia are helping her out. But the other one…Tiffany, yeah. She's just kind of sitting there thinking about…" He trailed off unexpectedly, and the other passengers could only wonder why. Andrew's face contorted in confusion, if only for a moment. No one spoke for a while, and they had gotten used to the silence. Suddenly, Andrew's eyes widened and he cursed.

"What's wrong?" Sebastian asked quickly.

"Synthia threw the first punch," he replied as he hurriedly got out of the car and ran up to the house. The others followed just as quickly, and Selina used her claws to slice the doorknob away; they were in a hurry.

"She's upstairs," Andrew said, leading the way for his friends. They ran up a spiral staircase in the center of the large, elegant room and down several halls until they reached a white door with a flamboyant golden "C" on it; screams were coming from inside. Andrew opened the door and went inside with everyone following close behind, and he was just in time to see Rune block a punch from Cassidy. The blue-haired girl performed a roundhouse kick in return, sending her enemy into a pink wall. Though they were impressed with her strength –and where did she learn that move?- they knew she had to stop. Andrew and Sebastian ran forward and grabbed Rune's arms tightly in an attempt to pull her out of the room, but she had other plans. She turned to glare at them with glowing white eyes, catching them off-guard and giving her a chance to get a shot in and escape. After getting over their initial shock, Andrew assumed a fighting stance, and Sebastian prepared to use his starbolts, if push came to shove.

"Hey, Rune," Covyll said, walking calmly over to the other boys. "How are you doing that thing with your eyes?"

Rune looked at him oddly. "What are you talking about?" She turned to look in Cassidy's mirror and realized with a jolt of shock what he was talking about. Her eyes faded back to blue without a word from their owner, who had turned back to face the others.

"She can do that 'cause she's a freak of nature! Her mother's probably a fricken _demon_ who got knocked up by her pimp! I hope to God that your children won't be as ugly as you, _slut_!" Tiffany said as she tried to help Synthia off the ground.

Rune glared at her, as did her friends, and she came up with a simple response for the shaken brown-haired girl before her.

"I'm going to **_kill you_**!" She yelled, running towards the frightened teen. In a flash, Sebastian threw a glowing red starbolt in her path, which singed Rune's arm as it passed. She turned and glared at the boy, her eyes returning to their blinding white state, but this time he was prepared.

"Just ignore her, Rune!" Sebastian said. "She's an idiot- you and I know it."

"Hey!" Tiffany protested; no one responded.

"I am _tired_ of letting them walk all over me!" Rune replied, ready to attack Tiffany. Before anyone could say anything else, an invisible force pushed Rune forward, and she landed on her hands and knees to avoid being hurt. Selina appeared again just as Covyll, Andrew, and Sebastian grabbed Rune from behind. She was struggling, and she managed to kick Covyll away before something slammed her through the door and into a wall in the hall. She opened her eyes and glared at James, whose fist was extended towards her; he was holding her so tightly against the wall with his wind that she could not move.

"Enough of this," he said, staring her down.

"What happened to letting me fight my own battles?" she asked coldly.

"There's a difference between fighting and bullying," James said in his monotonous voice.

"They deserve it!" Rune fought back.

"If you continue attacking, you're just as bad as they are," he responded, staring her down. Her glare wavered, and she looked away; her eyes faded back into blue.

"Let me go." James hesitated. "I'm not going go attacking them, already! I want to get out of this Godforsaken excuse for a home."

James finally complied, and Rune was freed from the wall. Without another word, she darted down the stairs and out of the house, passing Kitten Moth on her way out. The latter walked up the stairs and, ignoring the four strange boys in her hall, into her daughter's room. Her eyes went wide as she viewed the damage Rune had done.

"_What_ is going on here?" she shrieked. "Cassidy, baby, are you okay?" She asked, running to her sobbing daughter's side.

"I-it was horrible!" Cassidy stuttered. "That w-wretched _Falle_ came in here a-and started yelling at us, then s-she just snapped and was h-hitting me and my friends!"

"How _dare_ she?" Kitten exclaimed, hugging her child.

Not wanting to hear any more of this nonsense, Sebastian left the same way he had entered, intent on finding Rune. Once at the T-car, he realized that she was not waiting for them. He looked left and right down the streets, and saw her in the distance, walking further into the neighborhood. He ran after her, and was walking next to her a few minutes later, slowing his breath to normal. They walked in silence for a few yards, until Sebastian finally broke it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, giving the option to decline. She stared down at the ground before her as they walked.

"...No. I just want to go home."

"It will take you forever if you're walking," he said, trying to persuade her to go back to the car.

"Then let it," she replied. Sebastian sighed and continued walking with Rune. Some time later, after walking for at least a mile, it was Rune's turn to break the quiet around them. "...Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, looking at her.

"Holding me back. I might have done something I would regret, if you guys hadn't."

"You mean you don't regret what you _did_ do?" he asked, in slight disbelief. She shook her head.

"I don't. Admittedly, I am a bit..._wary_ as to what might happen on Monday at school, but I'm not regretful."

"Why is that not a surprise to me," Sebastian said more than asked. There was a small smirk on his face, though, as he made his next comment. "You have a pretty good kick."

"Thanks, but I did it incorrectly."

"Let me guess, your calf feels sore?" An affirmative from Rune. "Thought so. But it doesn't matter much -that girl will be feeling it far longer than you."

A small smile from Rune as she said, "Her name is Tiffany...she was my best friend, in elementary school."

Sebastian was only a little bit surprised by this. True, Cassidy and the others had said that they used to be friends, but he had found that hard to believe at the time. How could Rune be friends with such a cruel person? Nevertheless, maybe, over time, people just...change.

"What happened?" he asked.

"...She decided she wanted more popularity, and so she started hanging out with Moth and Gurliaccio back there. They didn't like me, so that meant _she_ had to hate me, as well. In short, she wrote a note that solidified her betrayal."

"But that makes no sense! How can two people go from best friends from mortal enemies in the blink of an eye?"

"Hm...She was kind, but desperate. She wanted popularity, and she couldn't get it by hanging around with me. It doesn't matter; I don't need her."

Sebastian stopped walking and stared at Rune, who copied his actions. A car drove by, its light illuminating the street and giving Rune a clear view of Sebastian's calculating face. She was slightly nervous now; he knew something that he shouldn't.

"It _does_ matter," he said. "Betrayal among friends is not something you just get over."

"Well _I do_," she said, continuing her walk, whereas he remained motionless.

"You still have her note, don't you?" he asked, staring after her. Rune froze mid-step, her eyes slightly wider. Sebastian walked up to her, a knowing and piteous look upon his face. "I thought so."

Rune regained her composure and continued walking. "So what if I do?" she said challengingly, as Sebastian once again walked beside her. "I kept it to keep me from wanting her back. Now, I don't need it to make that decision.

Sebastian was about to say something in response, but stopped as he noticed a yellow taxicab pull up beside them. The back seat window rolled down to reveal a slightly puzzled Logan staring at the two. Rune and Sebastian ceased walking to stare at the formers father, whom Sebastian had no idea was the infamous Red X.

"Rune? What are you doing here so late at night?" Logan asked. _'And walking with Robin's kid, no less,' _he mentally added.

"We're on our way home," his daughter replied. Logan took note of her imperceptibly bloodied hands and messy hair, assumed that she was in a fight, and told them to get in.

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The ride to the Falles's apartment was relatively quiet. Logan had imparted his assumption to the teens, and told Rune that she would tell her mother and him once they got home. Rune acquiesced nonchalantly and said nothing more as she stared out of her window. The trio arrived at the correct apartment building and, after Logan paid the cab driver, went inside. A few minutes later, they were sitting across from each other in the living room, Raven having been waiting for her family. Rune explained everything that had happened that day, from the call she received that lead her to the pier, to the moment she stepped into the cab with her father. Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Falle were more than shocked by the story. After all, several things happened: Rune's eyes were glowing, she was almost killed, and she attacked the girls who hired her almost-assassinator. Raven wanted to talk to her daughter in private, so the two left for Rune's room; Logan went into his own, leaving Sebastian all alone.

Now, imagine yourself in Sebastian's place. You're all alone in your girl friend's living room having just witnessed her attack other girls. You have nothing better to do, so why not snoop? As quietly as he could, Sebastian walked up to Rune's door and listened in on the girls' conversation. At first he heard nothing, but then Raven spoke.

"You know what you did was pretty dumb, right?" she asked. A moment of silence –Rune probably nodded, he surmised- "And why didn't you tell us about these girls?"

"I couldn't, mom. I was told to not tell anyone, and I had to get to the pie-"

"I mean before that. These girls harass you, don't they? Why didn't you tell me? I _am_ a lawyer, you know!"

"It's my problem, _I'll_ deal with it," Rune responded.

Sebastian wanted to hear more of the conversation, but suddenly he was grabbed from behind.

"Ah-mmph!"

"Shush!" Logan Falle whispered, covering Sebastian's mouth and pulling him into to living room. He released the boy, and Sebastian turned to face him. "You know, _Sebastian, _eavesdropping isn't very nice."

"Ah ha…um…" Sebastian smiled sheepishly, whereas Logan glared.

"Do you like my daughter?" he demanded.

Sebastian blushed and his eyes went wide. "N-no! I don't like Rune! Wait- I mean, I _like _her, b-but not in _that_ way!"

"Uh huh." He stepped threateningly towards the teen and glared menacingly at him, then said, "If you hurt my daughter, I will have no problems with _killing_ you."

"Hey, I'm a Titan- you can't threaten me like that! If you weren't Rune's father, I'd hit you!"

Logan laughed bitterly. "Kid, you have no _idea_ who you're talking to, do you? Believe me, you wouldn't be so confident if you knew."

"Well then, I'll find out," Sebastian said.

"If you can find out by Sunday night, kid, I'll trust you to hang out with Rune."

"Tomorrow night? Deal," Sebastian said, holding out his hand, which Logan then shook.

"Let the games begin."

**Nyah, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Happy Holidays to all of you! **

**---Later!!**


	33. Revealed

**Thank you very much for the reviews! I hope everyone's holidays were awesome, and that you all had a great New Year! Wo0t! It's 2007!!! Anyway, yeah. You have no idea how happy it makes me to read your reviews! Okay okay, I'll stop talking. Welcome to the thirty-third chapter of ****The Story of a Girl****! Please enjoy your stay.****J**

**---Jaime**

**Oh yeah, and I am SO SORRY that it took me so long to get this out. Education plus Groundation times Boredomation equals Procrastination! Feel free to stone me on your way out, but no tar or feathers, thanks…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the original Titans. Rune, Sebastian, Andrew, Kimi, Selina, Covyll, James, Dominique, Yuho, Cassidy, Tiffany, Synthia, Janet, and Red X's alter-ego, however, are MINE (wow, that was a mouthful).**

**Ch. 33: **Revealed

Sebastian sat in his room at Titans Tower, looking at his computer monitor with intense concentration. He had several windows open, each one showing a different room in the Falle home. As disturbing as it sounds, he secretly installed the microscopic cameras all throughout their apartment before he left. It was harder for him to get a camera in Rune's room than anywhere else, but he managed to get one by her light switch. Currently, Raven was sleeping in her bedroom; Rune was on her computer in her own room, and Logan was in his office. Now all Sebastian had to do was wait until Logan Falle unknowingly revealed his secret.

'_It shouldn't take long,'_ he thought. _'But it's lucky for me that I always keep a bunch of random equipment in my pockets.' _

"Why _do_ you do that?" Andrew asked, floating up next to his friend; Covyll and Andrew were in on the whole thing, both wanting to know what Logan Falle had to hide.

"Just incase," Sebastian replied vaguely.

On the screen were seven different smaller screens, each showing a room in the apartment in Raya City. Sebastian stared at Logan's back as the man typed quickly on his computer, which did not give the boys any clues. Covyll walked up behind Sebastian next to Andrew and stared at the monitor. After a few minutes of nothing happening, Covyll sighed.

"Damn, this is boring. Let's just stalk him tomorrow, all in favor say 'I'," Covyll said. His friends remained silent. "Well, fine then!"

While Covyll sulked in a corner, Sebastian's monitor suddenly went pitch black, sending them to alert mode. A window instantly popped up with Logan Falle's face in it; he was smirking triumphantly. The teens were shocked; Andrew turned on Sebastian's web camera so that Logan could see them. After a moment, Logan spoke.

"I bet you thought it was clever, huh, kid?" he said.

"How did you find out?" Sebastian asked, eyes widened in shock.

"I have my ways. Now, about the cameras… I don't mind that you installed them all over my house. Hell, I don't even mind the one in my daughter's room. But to put one in the _bathroom?_ You're either extremely desperate or totally perverted."

Sebastian blushed. "I am not!"

"You're not desperate?" Logan asked.

"No."

"So you're perverted."

"I never said that!"

"You never denied it," Logan pointed out. Sebastian growled, while Andrew laughed at his friend's misfortune.

"Look, you found the cameras," Covyll said, "who cares? The most important thing here is -_how_ did you learn that awesome 'black-screen-of-death' trick?" he demanded excitedly. Logan smirked.

"With lots of time and patience. Well, kid, you have until ten o'clock tomorrow night. Good luck," Logan taunted, smiling arrogantly. The screen went black again, then gradually faded back to Sebastian's camera views; all of the mini-screens were blue.

"How did he disconnect all of my cameras? We were staring right at him!" Sebastian said to no one in particular.

"'Time and patience'? That doesn't answer my question! Now I'll never know the secret…" Covyll said, comical tears rolling down his face.

"Okay, men! It's time we come up with a different strategy!" Andrew said dramatically, pointing to the ceiling heroically with a wide smile. Sebastian and Covyll looked at their friend. A few minutes went by before he said, "See, this is the part where you two start shouting out different ideas…"

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In Rune's bedroom, all of the lights were out. Said girl had been asleep for at least an hour, having her usual dream –the dead body and the grave of a Titan. In the dream, she really felt like she would finally see whose name was on the tombstone. However, luck was not on her side at the moment…

_**Do do do da DOO do do da do**_

Rune woke with a start as the annoying little ring tone continued on. Groaning in annoyance, she rubbed her eyes and looked around for her communicator. After stumbling out of bed and searching her back pack, she found the black and yellow device and opened it. On the screen were three familiar faces.

"What do you want this late at night?" she demanded tiredly.

"My fair lady," Andrew started, "we require your assistance in revealing the evil overlord's true form!"

"…Um…"

"Just tell us what your father does for a living and we'll let you get your beauty rest," Covyll said, quietly adding, "Goodness knows you need it." Rune glared at the black-haired boy.

"Why do you care what my dad's job is?" she asked suspiciously.

"'Cause if we don't find out by tomorrow night, then Sebastian's not allowed to—maphe mmm…"

"Ahem!" Sebastian said, slapping his hand over Covyll's big mouth and blushing slightly. "It's really not something you should worry about, Rune! Eh he he…yeah."

Rune stared stoically at the three boys for a moment, wondering what could be so important and secret. Did it have anything to do with her? Well, whatever the reason, she decided she would help them. Barely.

"I'm not allowed to tell anyone what my father does," she said slowly, giving her first small hint. "Anyway, have you read the paper lately? There has been a lot of crime going around." There was a knock at her door, and the boys saw her look away briefly. "I'll talk to you later." She closed her communicator and left her three friends to solve her puzzle.

Covyll looked at the others. "Was that supposed to be _helpful_?" he asked bitterly.

"Um…sure?" Sebastian offered. Andrew sighed at his friends' ignorance.

"You guys are so lucky that you have a genius for a friend," he said, smirking slightly. "She was giving us clues! Her father can probably hear what she's saying, so she didn't want to say it directly. Now, think of the first thing she said."

"When she told us that she wasn't allowed to tell us?" Covyll asked in a bored tone. Andrew nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You are such an imbecile," Andrew sighed. "That's a great hint! It means that her father is someone important. Perhaps even someone _we _as _heroes_ should not know about."

"So you're saying that Logan Falle is a villain?" Sebastian suggested.

"Either that or he's had close ties to one," Covyll said. Andrew smiled at the achievement and patted them on their heads.

"Good boys!" He received two glares in return.

"Even so," Sebastian said, "that still doesn't tell us much."

"What, are you blind?" Andrew asked. "She even told us where to look!"

"Okay, you lost me again," Covyll said, looking a fraction more interested than he was a moment ago.

"_'Have you read the paper lately?'_" the mind-reader quoted. "_'There has been a lot of crime going around'_. She was telling us to check the newspapers! Obviously her father is there!"

"Well, that does make some sense," Sebastian said thoughtfully.

The three boys left Sebastian's room and headed to the fourth meeting room on the third floor- their secret location for doing all the work they didn't want anyone to know about. After securely locking the door and settling in their usual seats, Sebastian looked from Covyll to Andrew and nodded at the latter. Andrew then pressed a small white button on the underside of the table, and the top opened to reveal three custom built laptops on a platform in the center of the table. Covyll handed them out, and the three of them got to work reading the newspapers via the JC Times website. For all of five minutes, the trio worked diligently on their case. But they steadily became exhausted as time went on, and Covyll ended up falling asleep once before Andrew woke him up. As the hours ticked by, morning arrived and the teens had not made any progress.

"Uhg…this is getting us nowhere!" Covyll complained for the umpteenth time.

"I have to agree," Andrew said. "I thought it would be simple enough, but I haven't found anything about Logan Falle or anything suspicious that could be related to him."

"There's a guy that's about Mr. Falle's size that pops up randomly," Sebastian said, "but otherwise, I have nothing."

"Y'mean that 'Red X' guy?" Covyll asked. "Yeah, I saw 'im, too. He's a pretty good thief… He's got a lot of experience with technology; he must have a lot of patience to spend so much time learning about computers…."

Suddenly, all three Titans' eyes went wide in shock. That was the answer. They were the same height. Red X had been around long enough for him to be Logan's age. They both have advanced skill with computers. It was so painfully obvious that they never would have realized it if Covyll had not made his last comment. They each jumped up simultaneously, smiling from ear to ear as they loudly shouted the same statement.

"Logan Falle is Red X!"

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"Uh huh. Where's your proof?" Nightwing asked from his seat at the dining room table. Immediately after figuring out the big secret, the three teens raced off to share their discovery with the others. Currently, the four older Titans were sitting in the main room, listening to the accusation by the younger generation of heroes.

"Because he just is!" Sebastian said. "They're the same height, same body type, same age-"

"-They have the same amount of technological ability," Andrew pointed out.

"They're both sneaky bastards with some huge mystery surrounding their identities," Covyll mentioned.

"I'm telling you, he's X!" Sebastian finished.

Nightwing rose an eyebrow at the children's evidence. "As plausible as that sounds, you can't just go accusing him of something so large without proof." But you could see that he was considering its truth himself. "Why are you suddenly so interested in his life, anyway?"

Sebastian blushed. "No reason!"

"We're bored as hell being cooped up in here all the time," Covyll said, rescuing his friend. "What else do you expect us to do on a weekend?"

"Well, if you are so convinced that he is Red X, then why do you not go get more proof?" Starfire suggested.

That having been said, the boys devised a sneaky plan to stalk Logan Falle for a while and get proof that he was a criminal. Everything was ready later that morning, and the three of them set off for Raya City. They had invited James to come along and help them; however, he was preoccupied with throwing them out of his room after Covyll commented on how creepy it was that he was reading a romance novel ("This coming from the guy with the porn stash in his pillow," Sebastian had stated). Therefore, without further ado, they hopped in the T-car and drove to Raya City. Covyll ended up falling asleep again in the back seat on the hour-long drive; therefore, Sebastian entertained himself by poking him incessantly with a pink marker –which, incidentally, resulted in Covyll's looking like he had a rash in random places.

It was eight in the morning by the time they arrived in Rune's neighborhood. Despite the early hour, many civilians were walking and driving down the city streets. Andrew drove into a garage and paid for twelve hours' worth of parking. Afterwards, the two up front proceeded to drag Covyll out of his comfortable slumber and the garage. Once on the street, the three stopped on the cracked sidewalk and looked around. A moment of awkward silence passed while they each avoided having to ask the single most important question, for none of them had the answer. But Covyll was brave. He turned to boldly face his friends with a look of confidence on his pink-dotted face, his posture manly and arrogant. As civilians continued to walk hurriedly past the group on their way to somewhere else, Covyll popped the question.

"Where the hell do we go now, genius?"

Andrew smiled sheepishly. "Good question! What do you think, Sebastian?" he asked, pretending that he cared about the red-eyed boy's input while really avoiding an admittance of ignorance.

"Well, we could go to the Falle's apartment building and follow Logan as he leaves the building," Sebastian suggested.

"That's precisely what I was thinking!" Andrew stated happily. Covyll rolled his eyes.

Before Covyll could retort with some smart-aleck remark, a blonde girl walking by stopped and gasped at him. He rose an eyebrow at the cute girl and smirked, thinking she was struck speechless by his 'devastatingly good looks', as he had told the others many times. Alas, he was not so fortunate.

"You really should get some cream for that rash," the cute girl said sympathetically; Andrew and Sebastian tried hard to suppress their laughter. "You wouldn't want it to spread."

Covyll's eyes widened. "_What rash_?" he demanded. The girl pulled a small pocket mirror from her purse and handed it to the teen. He quickly checked his reflection and saw the multitude of pink dots that decorated his face. "WHAT THE HE-?"

"Don't worry," Andrew said as Sebastian and he broke out into loud bouts of laughter. "He's just the poor victim of an innocent case of boredom. It'll wash off…I think."

Covyll blushed profusely as the girl took her mirror back and walked away giggling. The two enjoying his embarrassment decided to run for their lives as their canvas chased after them yelling a loud string of profanities and making preposterous threats. By the time Covyll caught up with them, red in the face and anger wearing off, the three boys were standing outside of Rune Falle's apartment building. Sebastian explained that if they had to run for their lives, they might as well head for their initial destination. So with Andrew's assistance, the trio flew to the top of the ten-story building and landed on the roof. They fortunately did not have to wait long for Logan Falle to emerge from the back doors and into an alleyway. The three stealthily followed their prey as he walked in the shadows leisurely, hands resting in the pockets of his jeans and shoulders slouched. Jumping –or in Andrew's case, flying- from rooftop to rooftop, they stalked him as he strolled down seemingly random back ways in the maze of allies. After a few minutes, Logan finally stopped walking. Andrew sighed, muttering about bad luck. His two friends looked at him, puzzled by the statement. That is, until Logan Falle looked up at them and smirked.

"So, are you just going to follow me around all day?" the man said, leaning against a brick wall. Covyll and Sebastian were surprised.

"B-but how did you know-?"

"You thought you were hidden well enough? How cute," Logan mocked. Sebastian and Covyll glared at him, whereas Andrew sighed in annoyance.

"There's no helping it," Andrew said as he flew his friends down to the ground. The trio faced their foe in offensive battle stances, prepared to fight for the necessary information.

"We know who you are and what you do for a living, Mr. Falle," Sebastian said. Logan rose an eyebrow at this statement.

"Oh? And who, pray tell, might I be?" he asked, crossing his arms lazily across his chest.

"The thief who first gained infamy in Jump City before he moved to Raya," Sebastian answered. "You're none other than Red X." The three teens smirked in triumph when Logan gave no reply, but soon grew wary as the man chuckled lightly.

"And do you have proof of this?" he asked. The boys' feeling of conquest wavered quite clearly. "I thought so."

"You match his description," Covyll said. "Same height, same weight, same technological capability-"

"-The same age," Andrew continued, "you two just materialized out of thin air around the same time with absolutely no history-"

"-And we can't find you registered anywhere in any system, from various government branches to something as small as a drivers' license!" Sebastian finished. He was _not_ going to Falle weasel his way out of this one.

"First," Logan said, "there are tons of men in Jump and Raya who match my height, age, and weight that can hack into computers. Second, just because you don't know where to _look_ for a history doesn't mean there's _not_ one. And third," he looked pointedly at Sebastian, "I take the subway or walk wherever I go. Cars just slow you down in a big city."

Andrew smirked, giggling childishly to himself while gaining the others' attention.

"Why the hell are you laughing, Braniac?" Covyll asked.

"Heh, 'cause he just condemned himself," the boy responded. He looked Logan in the eyes and quoted, "'These kids are pretty smart for figuring me out, but they'll never convince anyone else with such little proof'. Hah! You admitted it! You're Red X!"

Logan almost seemed startled.

"Yes, I can," Andrew replied to Mr. Falle's thoughts. Logan seemed impressed.

"Well in that case," he said, "I guess I've been found out. Grayson," he looked the spiky-haired boy dead in the eyes, "you are free to date my daughter." Sebastian blushed and was about to go through the troublesome task of trying to convince all present that he was not interested in Rune _that way_, but Logan saved everyone the trouble. "However," he said darkly, "if I so much as see one teardrop fall from my girl's eyes because of you, I swear I'll put you through so much torture-!"

"Yeah yeah, you promise to let Sebastian hang with Rune so long as they don't fu-"

"AHEM!" Andrew and Sebastian said while simultaneously slapping hands over Covyll's vulgar mouth. Logan smirked.

"Precisely. Well, I've got 'work' to do. See ya." Before anyone knew it, Logan Falle –a.k.a. Red X- had disappeared into the shadows.

A moment later, Andrew broke the awkward silence.

"…What an anticlimactic revelation…"

**I know, I know. I really am truly sorry that it took me SO. DARN. LONG. To get this chapter out. Was it worth the wait? (Nah, definitely not!) How long has it been since my last update? (checks to see) HOLY HELL! I-it's been 165 DAYS?!?! From December 22, 2006 to today, May 5, 2007? Jeeze, I'll be shocked if I still HAVE any readers! I hadn't realized how long it's been! **

**ACK! Please forgive me! It'll NEVER take that/this long for an update ever again! I am SO SORRY! **

**Begging your forgiveness,**

**Jaime.**


	34. Strange

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed my last chapter! The school year's over on Tuesday, so I'll have much more time to sit down and write. But now I'm kind of lost, because I had a set plan for this story…and now I've changed the plot, I think. I'm still a bit indecisive about it… bleh. Oh well! Please enjoy this next chapter of The Story of A Girl!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Nope, the Titans aren't mine. But this plot is. So hah.**

**Ch. 34: Strange…**

We rejoin the troublesome trio as they wander the bustling streets of Raya City aimlessly, hoping to encounter some form of entertainment. They decided to stop for pizza at a small restaurant downtown and stepped inside. Upon their entrance, many heads turned to watch the new arrivals as they walked to the counter. Covyll, after being giggled at by several more people, stalked off to the bathroom angrily to wash his pink-dotted face. Inside the hideous pale green, dimly-lit restroom, Covyll succeeded in removing all of the obstructions; he grinned at himself in the mirror before exiting with his hands resting lazily behind his head. Scanning the area, he found Sebastian and Andrew sitting in a booth a few tables away. He noticed as he got closer that the two were not alone and seated himself next to the surprise visitor.

"Yo," he said. James nodded in reply. "Why are you here?"

"…To buy a new book…" He answered, motioning to the small bag in his lap. The dangerous tone of his voice along with his hard stare dared Covyll to make some insulting remark. He got the hint and backed away for the frightening topic.

"We were just telling James here about Logan Falle's admission of guilt," Andrew said, smiling happily.

"We were right!" Sebastian exclaimed as a random employee came to deliver their pizza. He really is Red X, the master thief and computer expert."

"In other words, a villain?" Andrew nodded. "…And you didn't bother attempting to catch him because…?"

The other three boys froze with wide eyes, blinked a few times, and dropped their heads onto the table with a thud. James rolled his eyes at the idiots before him and glanced out the window, instantly noticing a blue car flying straight towards the four heroes. He acted quickly to force the others and several customers out of harms way with his power over the wind. Many screams of shock were heard as the car crashed though the window of the building and smashed into a counter, crushing the structure instantly.

The four boys jumped up in alert mode, checking to be sure that no one was too badly injured before racing outside to confront the source of destruction. The streets were in chaos as civilians ran screaming for safety. Sebastian pointed to a solitary figure standing sedately among the pandemonium, drawing his friends' attentions to her. She was a teen around Kimi's height and size. Her hair was orange with blonde streaks throughout it randomly, drawn back into a tight bun. Her outfit was composed of a black vest covering a white shirt and a pair of blue jeans underneath a black skirt. He gray eyes, striking against her slightly-tanned skin, were narrowed confidently at the four boys before her.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" Sebastian demanded. The girl smirked.

"Although it's none of your business, you can call me Liz. And as for what I want…" She drew out two short swords from a sheath on her back. "Well, you'll find that out soon enough."

Liz ran towards the boys with her weapons at her sides, preparing to strike down anyone unfortunate enough to meet her blade. Andrew was the first to react, flying forward to counter her attack. Liz struck out at the boy with her left sword a split second after he dodged it; scrunching her brow in puzzlement, she again swung the dangerous metal objects. This time, she spun in a full 360 degree turn, right blade extended towards Andrew while the hilt of the left rested against her stomach. As she retracted her right arm, her left extended simultaneously in one speedy, lithe motion. Just as suddenly, she thrust her right blade out once more. Andrew just barely dodged the green lightning bolt that emerged from Liz's twin weapons, frustrating Liz once more because her attack missed again. Rather, the lightning hit the pizza restaurant and created a large, flaming hole near its roof.

"How do you keep escaping, you little flea?" she yelled angrily.

"A flea?" Andrew asked. "Well, _that's_ not very nice…"

"Just tell me!"

Andrew glanced behind Liz, then looked her dead in the eyes and asked, "Do you really wanna know?"

As Liz nodded, she sensed an attack coming for her from behind. She turned suddenly to defend against several glowing crimson starbolts, courtesy of one Sebastian Grayson. However, the force of his attack was enough to crack her precious swords down the middle. The enraged girl ran towards the Tameranian half-breed in a blaze of fury, swiping at him randomly with her beloved weapons. Sebastian, being too quick for his enemy, blocked and countered every blow. In one graceful move, he bent down and swept his right leg underneath Liz, causing her to fall painfully to the pavement.

Sebastian rose again, only to have to dodge another lightning attack from the persistent Liz. She jumped up to strike out at the distracted boy when a nearby fire hydrant exploded, the water encompassing her body. From within her liquid prison, she saw Covyll smirking triumphantly; a thick rope of water streaming out from her cell was floating just in front of his left hand as he controlled the liquid sphere. Liz glared at the boy as her lungs began to ache for air, clearly not willing to admit defeat.

With a muted scream, the young teen conjured up a large ball of electricity with her powerful swords. The water glowed brightly as the energy flowed throughout it –and down the water line Covyll used for control. Before he could react, the light struck out and hit his hand, sending painful volts through his body. He was instantly blown into a window from the force of the blow, his impact shattering glass windows as he unwillingly "entered" the office building.

The water surrounding Liz dropped, and she gasped for air, sitting on her knees in the street. She felt a cool breeze run over her wet body and shivered, only to have the wind lift her two hundred feet into the air among the skyscrapers. Just as suddenly as she had risen, Liz was dropping again, heading towards the ground at a frightening speed. She released her weapons in favor of shielding herself from her seemingly inevitable fate; Andrew flew up to catch them. She screamed as the ground drew nearer and closed her eyes tightly, only o feel herself jerk to a stop. Peeking between eyelids, Liz saw the ground just a centimeter below her. She was then dropped and landed much more softly on the pavement than expected. As she sat up, shaking, James walked to her side.

"Would you like to explain why you attacked us?" he asked dangerously as his comrades neared them. "Or would you rather go higher?"

Liz's eyes shot widely open. "I-I-I was j-just following an o-order from my employer! That's all!" She responded fearfully, holding her hands up in defense.

"And who might that be?" Covyll asked bitterly, glaring at the girl.

She smirked. "He's my uncle. You four might know him as one of Jump City's most formidable villains –the infamous Control Freak!" She stated proudly, expecting the boys to now cower in fear of her uncle's name.

The streets were silent for a very long minute, not even the clichéd sound of crickets chirping in the background disrupting the scene. Then, without warning, the troublesome trio burst out laughing so hard that they fell to the ground with tears of mirth streaming out of their eyes. James and Liz glanced at each other, then to the three laughing boys. Through loud laughs and gasps for breath, Sebastian said:

"C-Control –ah hah!- _Control Freak_ sent you after us? Ah ha ha ha ha-!"

Liz blushed angrily. "And your point is?"

"He heh, your 'uncle' is such a _loser_!" Covyll exclaimed, still laughing.

The next few seconds went by in a rush. Liz ended up electrocuting those three laughing before she ran off crying and swearing the ultimate revenge. Not too long afterward, the laughter subsided, and the three boys stood, tired and out of breath. James rolled his eyes at them and turned to leave, mumbling about his teammates being idiots and whatnot. The trio followed, and after retrieving the T-car, everyone went back to Titans Tower to share their humorous story with the others.

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The next day around 2:30 P.M., Rune Falle was walking down the empty halls of her high school, headed towards the advanced Calculus class she had left only fifteen minutes prior. The principal had just informed her that due to her grades, she would be graduating from Matthias High an entire year earlier than expected. She would also be the first student to ever do so. Although her reaction wasn't very emotional outwardly, Rune was jumping for joy on the inside –she was even allowing a small smile to grace her features. Graduating a year early? Escaping the torture known as the student body? Of course she was excited! She couldn't wait to get home so she could tell her mother. It would be a private ceremony, of course; sitting in the Principal's office the next day and being handed her diploma, then free to join society. But that was even better –no students to mess up her little graduation.

As she entered the classroom, Rune noticed her teacher smiling at her as she walked to her assigned seat; obviously, he was in on the surprise. The rest of the class went by without incident, Rune too happy to even care about the random jokes on her behalf in the halls or the crudely drawn picture of her in Hell on her locker. Rather, for the rest of the day, the students of Matthias High were mildly disturbed, for Rune Falle was smiling. As it was the end of the school day, Rune grabbed her back pack and headed out the front doors with everyone else, deciding to walk home on this wonderful day –even if it did look like it might rain soon.

_'This is so cool!' _She thought. _'The school year's hardly begun and already tomorrow I'll be finished with it! YES!'_

Nice! You won't have to confront those girls, either. That's a plus!

**Hope: **Yay! See? Didn't I tell you things might get better!

**Unknown: **YAHOO! THIS I SO GREAT! NYAH HA HA!!

Rune froze in mid step as she heard the new, overly excited voice in her head. Slowly, the smile faded from her lips as she processed this new discovery. Oh no. Could it be…?

_'…Happiness, perhaps?'_

**Unknown: **Close enough! I'm both Happiness AND love! It's great to meet you, Rune! I'm so happy for you!

_'…'_

Rune, don't shoot yourself. It's just Happiness. 

_'…She's an overly-hyper, happy, apparently loving voice in my head. Tell me, does that not seem out of character to anyone else?'_

**Happiness: **-much giggling-

**Hope: **This is wonderful! Another positive emotion. Things seem to just get better and better for you, don't they, Rune?

Ignoring her emotions as they conversed in her mind, Rune again walked down the street towards her home. She spotted a piece of trash on the side walk beside a trashcan and rolled her eyes; today's civilians were so inconsiderate to the environment. Thoughtlessly, Rune threw the wadded paper into the trashcan in passing and continued on her way. Only when her emotions suddenly got silent did she suspect something.

Rune? Did anything seem odd with how you threw that paper away?

_'…Um…no?'_

Oh, okay. It just seems to me that if someone levitates something into the trash, they might feel a bit more shocked.

Levitation? Was Rune hearing correctly? Come to think of it, she didn't recall bending over or touching the paper. Did she really levitate it into the garbage can? This day was getting better and weirder by the minute. Shrugging her shoulders, Rune happily made her way down the street and towards her home once again. She couldn't wait to let her parents know about everything that had happened. However, she would not be so joyful if she knew what would take place within that week…

**Nyeh, this chapter seems too short… Oh well! At least it didn't take me 165 days to get out, right? Anyway, yeah. So Rune has a new emotion, and she'll be graduating from the High School of Hell an entire year early! She is a senior, you know, but school practically just started for her… Nyah. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this! The next chapter will be better, this one was just….I dunno, it feels too "blah" to me. Whatever!**

**---Jaime**


	35. Memories

** Yay! Thank you for the reviews, kind readers. I hope that this chapter is better than the last one. I don't have much else to say, so just read the happy little chapter, and enjoy!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill –I don't own the Titans, I'm just a pathetic little girl with no life who enjoys writing.**

**Ch. 35: Memories**

The newest generation of Titans was all sitting in the living room, entertaining themselves in random ways. For instance, while Andrew and Covyll played video games at the movie-theater-quality television of the main room, Selina sat on the floor between them playing with a ball of string. Kimi watched the younger girl's felinity, curious as to why she was so enthralled by the string… James was sitting on the other side of the couch, showing an interested Sebastian one of the new books he bought in Raya City. While the group of six spent their free time lazing around, Changeling and Cyborg entered the main room with a new guest in tow. No one really paid them any mind, so Changeling decided on the loudest way to get their attention. After turning into a rather large green elephant, a great sound bellowed out from his core with the effect that the six teens jumped out of their seats in fright. The green man transformed back into his usual form and smiled at his taller companion.

"…Yeah. Hey guys, come here," Cyborg said, as the other kids glared at Changeling. "Meet the newest Titans of the bunch."

Their attention was turned to a petite girl in the background, whose skin bordered on ivory with a hint of peach. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail tied up with a black bow, the free flowing locks in the back having been curled; it matched well with her sky blue eyes. She wore a strapless, form-fitting dress in such a dark shade of navy that it was almost black, just like the night sky. She wore matching gloves that extended to just below her shoulders and black, flat-heeled boots that reached her mid calves. However, it wasn't her angelic face or fashionable appearance that left the others speechless. It was the two blue butterfly wings on her back, which were no higher than her neck and no lower than her waist; they matched the alluring hue of her eyes.

"This is Melody Matahari," Cyborg said. "She's gonna join our team, but you should know-"

Before Cyborg could continue, everyone noticed Melody's eyes widen as she let out a breathy gasp of surprise. She quickly glided over to the object of her attention, her wings flapping gently to support her weight as she hovered a few inches above the ground. James raised an eyebrow as the girl gave him a light hug before she stepped back and said something that James could not understand. She smiled at him, and he resisted an urge to smile back at the rather cute girl. Before any more words could be said, Starfire and Nightwing entered the main room, as well. They spotted the new girl and made their way over to the small group of Titans. Starfire smiled at her and began conversing with Melody in the same language that none of the others understood.

Cyborg smiled. "As I was saying, she doesn't speak English –only Japanese, apparently."

"We're gonna train her until the new t-" Immediately, Nightwing and Cyborg jumped on Changeling to silence him.

"Ookaaayy," Covyll spoke for everyone. The two men dragged their smaller friend into another room, never to be seen again. At least, until dinner was made. Looking back at Melody and Starfire, Covyll asked, "So how are we supposed to know what she's telling us?"

"I will be teaching her English," Starfire responded. "But you're welcome to learn Japanese, as well."

"Well, where's she from?" Kimi asked. "Seriously, she doesn't _look_ Japanese."

"She told me that she is from France, however her mother took her to an orphanage while she was a baby." Melody spoke to the older woman for another minute before Starfire continued. "She says that she was soon adopted by a Japanese couple while she was still very young, and learned Japanese as her native language. Apparently, her mother was very ill, and knew Melody would end up in the orphanage eventually."

Melody then pointed to James and apparently asked for his name, because Starfire responded with it. Melody smiled at James again and spoke to him, and while he didn't know what she was saying, her voice was very pleasing to his ears.

"Hajimemashite! Watashi ha Melody desu! Ogenki desuka, James-san?" She said. James stared blankly at her, causing Starfire and Melody to giggle.

Starfire decided to translate for the poor boy. "She said, 'Pleased to meet you! I am Melody! How are you, Mr. James?' "

"Oh," was the pathetic response. "Um…fine?"

Starfire translated that into Japanese for the newest Titan to understand, making the blonde giggle. Some more words were exchanged between the two before Starfire grabbed Melody's hand and dragged her out of the room. But not before the girl could turn back to James and wave.

"De ha mata!" She called. _("See you later/soon")_

James blinked. Selina, Andrew, and Kimi were laughing lightly in the background, while Sebastian and Covyll smirked.

"Heh, wow. I think she likes you," Covyll stated. When James didn't respond, the room got quiet. Everyone was staring open-mouthed at James, who stared at the curiously.

"…What?"

Andrew and Kimi ran over to stand in front of James, a serious invasion to his personal space. "You like _her_, too!" they accused. Selina was giggling behind them.

The redhead glared at the pair. "Tch, how ridiculous."

"Awe, Jamesy-poo's in wuv!" Covyll teased, earning a death glare of his own.

"No, I am not." He turned to escape the annoying group and headed for his own room. And in his passing, Selina was the only one who noticed the lightest hue of pink staining her brother's face. The almighty James was _blushing._ She just smiled, but did not reveal this information to the others; Covyll would never let James live it down.

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James Matthews sat in his slowly darkening room as the sun outside dipped low beneath the horizon. He lied above the comforter on his bed, thinking about the many situations he'd been in as a child, and even more so as he got older. Specifically, he was thinking about his parents. Narrowing aquamarine eyes slightly in disgust, he remembered how horribly his mother and father suited the title of "parents". They were not ready for the job; they didn't even _want_ it. His mother and father had wanted to have "fun", but they refused to accept responsibility for it. They hated the two consequences of the constant fooling around they did, also known as Selina and James Matthews. Sighing softly in boredom, James recalled the events leading up to their orphan hood.

FLASHBACK:

It had been ten years since Mrs. Matthews gave birth to the daughter she never wanted, and what a dreadful decade it had been for the Matthews siblings. Despite being brought up in such horrible and abusive conditions, Selina was a bright and benevolent young girl. She ignored the constant insults from her parents, instead smiling gently at them whenever she was called a "freak" or even worse names that should never be said of a child. James envied her composure, wondering how in the world she could endure not only the mental abuse, but also the physical she would rarely receive. James, too, was insulted and beaten, but he was not as kind and forgiving as his younger sister –he cursed his parents, despising their very existence with every fiber of his being. He never spoke back then, except to Selina. Upon bringing up his hatred for their mother and father once, he asked how she could remain so calm.

"How can you be so peaceful?" he asked, as Selina cleaned the wound Mr. Matthews had given his son. In a fit of anger, the man had thrown a glass bowl at his son's head. What a loving father, no? "How is it you can forgive them for all that they do to us?"

Selina smiled sadly at her older brother while dabbing some hydrogen peroxide at the cut in his forehead; he winced slightly, unwilling to show his pain. "Nobody's perfect," she said softly. "While their mean words may hurt our feelings, at least they pay attention to us, even if it does always end up bad. It means that they care about us, even just a little…"

"Yeah, right," James said. "They hate us and you know it."

"They can't truly hate us without having loved us at some point. Otherwise, they just wouldn't care at all…"

James marveled at the kindness and wisdom his sister displayed at such a young age. Could she really be ten years old? She sounded like a senior citizen. Looking away, he thought about everything Selina had just said, silently agreeing. But there was still something on his mind.

"And the bruises?" he asked, watching the wall instead of his sibling. She froze for a second, and then continued applying the bandage to James's head. "Can you forgive them for all those times they've hurt you? Do you truly not care?"

Selina sighed, resting her hands in her lap. Looking up at James, she answered. "It does hurt…but then I think of you. I worry more about you, and hope that someday mom and dad will realize what they've done…I know it's dumb, but I can't help but hope for the best."

James understood what she meant. Every time their parents had started to hit Selina, James would get in their way. He would push her aside and take her punishment for himself, leaving him bruised and sometimes bloody. At those times, he longed to use his power to attack his parents, but always refrained. Selina wouldn't like that at all. So he took it all, the pain and hate, all to protect his sweet innocent little sister. In return, Selina stood on pins and needles around Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, being as perfect as possible to avoid more fighting. She only spoke when spoken to, she and James cleaned the apartment until it shined, she was well mannered, and she never disobeyed an order from her parents. But sometimes, they would get drunk; that's when no amount of perfection would help her, and so it was James who played the hero. Selina truly admired and respected her brother for his bravery.

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Unfortunately, the day came when the inevitable happened; James knew that one day, his parents would go too far, and he was right. Selina had been cooking that night's dinner, when Mrs. Matthews came home from her job as a waitress. It was obvious that the woman was drunk again by her disheveled appearance, but Selina didn't stare. That was a free pass to a harsh beating in the Matthews household. Regardless, Mrs. Matthews walked over to her daughter and stared hard at the back of her head. Selina worked quietly, slicing carrots while the water on the stove heated to boil. Then, without warning, the older woman growled in rage and took the pot of scalding water, dumping the contents onto her daughter's head. Selina screamed in pain and fell to the ground, crying from both shock and hurt.

"You _worthless wretch_!" the woman yelled, kicking her poor child. "You're horrible! Look at you, dressed in _rags_! Don't look at me with your cat-eyes, you filthy _bitch_! You're a disgrace; I regret ever giving birth to a demon like _you_!"

At some point during the onslaught, James had run out to see what had happened. Without thinking, he rushed to his sister and tried to help her up, hoping to get her away from the deranged woman. But Mrs. Matthews would have none of that.

"And who do you think you are, kid, protecting her all the time? Let her fight her own battles, you stupid child! You're just as worthless as she is!"

And it continued until she was satisfied with the two injured children in her kitchen. "Clean this mess up, you useless bastards!" she had shouted before leaving them broken and bleeding on the floor. Selina whimpered quietly in a corner, her skin slightly red; she was lucky the water wasn't boiling. James was breathing heavily after his beating. He had purposely aggravated his mother at one point, to ensure she would leave his sister alone. However, the cost of Selina's safety –no matter how painful- was always worth it to see her smile again. Looking over at his crying sister, he knew she would not be cheerful for a while. She was in shock, not understanding how her mother could hate her so much.

"What did I do wrong?" she asked James as he rubbed medicine on her more severe burns in his room. "Why does she hate me so much? Am I really that bad…?"

"Don't say that," James demanded harshly. "It's not you who's been bad. It's _them_. They are horrible parents. You should not have had to endure those insults, or that pain. You did nothing wrong, Selina."

"I-I thought that there was some goodness in everyone…that no one was truly evil…but now I'm starting to think I was wrong…"

He let her cry herself to sleep in his bed, holding her hand to let her know he was there to protect her. As her breathing slowed and regulated, his eyes narrowed in absolute loathing. He stood, determined to make his parents pay for their wrongful actions. Silently, he exited his room and made his way to his parents' bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him. His mother and father looked at him through the cigarette smoke lingering in the air, asking what he was doing "burdening them with his useless presence". Instead of answering, James smirked the first of many sinister smirks as he neared their bed with his hand in the air.

The next morning, Selina woke up to see James smiling kindly with breakfast made. She asked where their parents were, and he said that they had left.

"They're never going to hurt you again, Selina," he responded vaguely. Somehow, she knew what he'd done the previous night, but instead of feeling sad, she accepted it. There was no changing their fates now. Together, the siblings ate a small breakfast alone, each one's smile gently growing as they realized they were safe from their parents' unjustified wrath.

End FLASHBACK.

_'Yes, I gave them what they deserved,' _James thought, giving a trademark smirk to the darkness around him. _'I don't think Selina ever approved, but she understood. She started smiling again, even when children services took us to an orphanage…'_

Shaking his head, the redhead ignored the rest of his memories, labeling them as unnecessary. Instead, he searched his bed blindly for his stereo remote. Upon locating said device, he turned on a favorite song of his. As he was encompassed by the calm yet haunting melody, James closed his eyes and gently hummed along to the instrumental tune of the song. Unbeknownst to the teenage boy, a surprise visitor was sneaking into his bedroom seemingly unnoticed. As the newcomer glided over to his bed, they tilted their head to the side in curiosity. As they moved their hand to tap him on the shoulder, James used his control over the wind to quickly pin them against his wall with his eyes closed. Still lying in his relaxed position, two aquamarine eyes opened slightly to peer out at the intruder.

"Eh he he," Melody laughed sheepishly. "Gomen nasai, James-san." _(I'm sorry, James)_

Realizing whom it was, James released the blonde from his wall and watched as she floated over to him again with a smile on her face. She really did have a beautiful smile, in his opinion. Not that he would ever say that aloud… She sat next to him on the bed, sitting with her legs to the side in a lady-like fashion. He looked up at her, wondering why she was sneaking into his room, but knowing better than to ask; she could not yet speak English. She glanced around his room for a moment before her eyes landed on his stereo. Smiling, she flew over to it with the help of her delicate wings. James sat up and watched the girl rummage through his CDs before she found one and put it into the player. Resting on his elbows, he watched in curiosity as she switched to a specific track, and then listened in fascination as she sang along.

_"Dancing shadows on the wall,_

_Watching…waiting…wanting…_

_Careful or for sure you'll fall,_

_(It's you they're hunting)"_

James was only mildly surprised that she could at least sing in English; he'd listened to Selina singing songs in Japanese and Spanish before, and this was no different. But it wasn't the English lyrics that kept his eyes glued to her or his heart beating rapidly in his chest. No, it was her beautiful voice flowing sinuously throughout his dark room that kept him entranced. Melody's name suited her very well, he thought absently. Her voice was so clear as it resonated gently from her throat, singing so attractively with her high soprano voice that his heart nearly stopped. He was so dazed that he didn't realize when the song had ended until Melody flew over to him, giggling softly. She had to have known the effect her talent would have on him, otherwise she might have expressed some concern. His eyes focused once again as he was brought out of the trance. He looked away in embarrassment, hiding the light blush present on his cheeks.

_'Does she…? No, you idiot. Don't think that way,' _James mentally berated himself. _'What would a beautiful girl like her want to do with a murderer like you, hm?'_

Melody quickly appeared before James before the flush had completely faded, and she smiled a small, breathtaking grin at the redhead. Chuckling slightly, she poked him on the forehead and whispered softly.

"Kawaii!" _(cute)_

James hoped that didn't mean something bad, because he'd never know if she were insulting him or not. Before he could react at all, Melody gave the boy a sweet, innocent hug. She felt him tense in response, and released him after a moment or so. Smiling happily with a small blush on her own face, Melody flew away to James's door, turning back only to call out what he assumed to be a goodbye. As the door closed behind her retreating form, James fell back onto his bed with a sigh of both frustration and something he couldn't quite place. Staring up at his blackened ceiling, he pondered the visit silently as the clock by his bed read eight o'clock. But he really couldn't care less about the time while a certain blonde was swimming in his thoughts.

_'Hn…'_

**Was this too short, too? I hope not. I tried to make it longer. ANYWAY, I hope you guys liked this little trip into the wonderful mind of James Matthews! Any suggestions or tips for the story? Please leave a review on your way out! They make me overflow with happiness!! **

**---Jaime**


	36. Untitled

**Hehehe! I've been dying to write this chapter for a while now. I hope you all like it! I guess you can kind of consider it as a filler chapter, since it doesn't really have anything to do with the plot of my story. Oh well! Read on, faithful…readers!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. But whoever DOES own them is one lucky guy.**

**Ch. 36: Untitled**

It was a partly cloudy Thursday morning in Raya City, and Rune had no idea what to do for the day. Considering that she no longer had to go to the High school of Hell, she wondered what she would do to entertain herself while she was home alone. Her mother had gone into work early that day, working on some big important case for a client of hers. Her father was nowhere to be found, but Rune knew he was probably out either stealing as Red X or working at his other job as Logan Falle, professional computer programmer. Sighing as she filled up Yuho's food dish with crunchy, salmon-flavored cat food, and idea popped into Rune's head. Deciding to act, Rune dressed in her street clothes, groomed herself, and grabbed her wallet on her way out the door.

"I'm going to the bookstore, Yuho," she said to the wide-eyed cat as he watched her leave. "Be good."

When she had gone and the front door was both closed and locked, Yuho continued to stare at it for a few minutes.

"…Meow?"

Well, if no one was going to be home to pet him, he needn't stay there. Trotting over to Mr. Falle's office, Yuho entered the messy room and looked around. After a moment, he moved towards a stack of papers near the wall, gently pushing them aside with his head to reveal an open hole for the air conditioning to come through. Jumping down the opening, Yuho found himself in a labyrinth of cold metal passages and began his journey through the maze to freedom. The snowy tom flicked his tail as he sauntered through the small corridors, until suddenly the ground fell out from beneath him! He screeched in shock as he went down the icy slide, twisting and turning around so much that he wasn't sure if he was falling up or down. Until finally, the poor frightened cat landed on the first floor of the apartment building. After standing and taking a moment to orient himself, Yuho pushed his way out of a loose aperture and into the basement. He quickly jumped onto a few random boxes and out of an open window to the street. Purring happily to himself, he finally reached the grimy asphalt and strolled leisurely through the alley.

Pleased with his victorious escape, Yuho failed to notice a man standing in front of him until the poor kitty was sucked into the shadows and whirled away. He felt an odd sensation in his stomach, and saw spots before his large blue eyes. Thankfully, the unwanted ride ended soon enough as Yuho landed on a carpeted floor with a thump. Standing on shaky legs, the kitty looked around and spotted the same man from before. He wore all black, right down to the hoodless cloak fastened around his neck. Yuho stared at his shimmering sliver hair, pondering ways he could attack the attractive locks.

"Meow?"

Upon hearing the strange sound, Dominique turned to stare down at a small white cat in the midst of his apartment. Pale pink eyes stared into cerulean orbs as the two sized each other up. Brow scrunched in confusion, the teen bent down to pet the small animal. As it purred in appreciation, Dominique smiled.

_'How did this guy get in here?' _he thought, thinking back to when he had teleported home from the alley. _'Awe, the little guy must have gotten caught in my shadow. That had to suck,' _he sympathized, knowing all too well how dizzying shadow transportation could be for a first-timer.

After checking the collar around his guest's neck, Dominique grinned and pet Yuho again. The kitty had no objections, and rubbed happily against the assassin's hand.

_'Well, isn't this a coincidence? It wasn't too long ago that I was trying to kill Miss Falle, and now her cat has made my acquaintance? How ironic…'_

Picking up the cuddly animal, Dominique made his way into his rather clean kitchen to fetch a bowl of water for Yuho. Setting both the cat and the bowl on his counter, he watched as Yuho lapped up the liquid gratefully. He gently stroked the soft, snowy fur of his small visitor, debating on whether or not to return him right away.

_'Rune might be missing him,'_ he thought, as Yuho looked up at him with his head tilted to the side cutely. _'…But then again, she probably hasn't noticed yet… Well, Yuho? Do you wanna hang out with me?'_

And almost as though Yuho could read minds, the kitty responded with a rather happy meow. Dominique smiled and patted his head, then departed for his living room with Yuho in pursuit. The teen plopped down onto his small brown couch and grabbed the television remote as his fluffy companion leapt onto his lap and curled into a ball. Flipping through the channels, the duo didn't really find anything worth watching. So, thinking quickly to solve their problem, Dominique used the power of his remote control to turn on a DVD. They were old-fashioned and pretty much obsolete, but Dominique was fascinated by their slowness and poor visual quality. Yeah, I don't get it either…

As the main menu came up, Dominique pressed play and shifted Yuho onto the couch so he could retrieve some snacks. Yuho waited patiently for his host's return, and mewed upon the boy's arrival. Dominique smiled as he sat down with an armful of chips, cookies, milk, and some tuna fish for them to enjoy. The two soon became engrossed in the film, and munched mindlessly on the snacks during its entirety. Anyone looking in on the scene would have thought they were rather sweet together, both on the edge of their seats with wide eyes like a child's as they absorbed every moment of the movie. Their personalities were very much alike, and they both had the same reactions to different scenes and dramatic moments. They were almost like twins. When it was finally over, they sat numbly on the chair for a minute before grinning widely at each other.

_'That was a great movie!' _Dominique thought as Yuho meowed his own opinion.

The joy was short-lived, however, as a song clip started playing from the laptop on a desk behind the couch. Dominique reacted by flipping backwards over the furniture and landing softly before his computer, typing away at the keyboard while the song continued. Yuho peeked over the back of the couch in curiosity, watching as the teen smirked mischievously at the screen. Closing the laptop and turning around, Dominique seemed quite happy about something. He walked to his kitchen to don his shoes, petting Yuho lightly as he passed. The cat followed him a minute later just in time to see his shadow come to life as it began wrapping itself around the assassin, presumably to teleport him somewhere else. Upon noticing his observer, Dominique stopped what he was doing to bend down and scoop Yuho up in his arms.

_'Wanna come with me?' _he asked in his thoughts. Yuho purred agreeably; Dominique then proceeded to wrap his shadow around them, enveloping them in darkness. The ride was less nauseating his second time around, but the cat would never fully get used to this mode of transport.

Not even a minute later, the two were standing inside a rather large office. Dominique immediately dropped his partner and disappeared in a whirl of inky shadows, leaving Yuho to look around in confusion. He meowed a loud cry of complaint, disliking being left alone. Consequently, his voice reached the ears of a rather portly old man in a business suit transferring huge wads of cash from a safe in the wall to a briefcase. The man turned around quickly, eyes wide and fearful. When his gaze landed upon Yuho, he breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled a little.

"You scared the hell out of me, little guy," he admitted, turning back to continue stealing from the safe.

Yuho's quick eyes caught movement on the high ceiling and looked up to see Dominique being held by his shadow. The teen held his finger to his mouth in an effort to tell his companion to stay silent; fortunately for him, Yuho was a relatively quiet cat. The assassin moved with grace any dancer would envy as he flipped soundlessly down to the floor behind his target, landing on his hands and feet in a crouched position. Standing quickly, Dominique's shadow preceded him to wrap itself around the thief's throat in a vise-like hold. The poor man immediately began thrashing against the shadow, clutching against the intangible rope around his neck in an attempt at freedom. Dominique seemed almost bored as the other man fell to the floor with a thud, dead as a doornail. Walking happily back to Yuho, the assassin received such a scary look from the cat that his blood ran cold. It was almost as if the animal were scolding him for being a killer. Dominique placed his hands before him defensively, giving an apologetic smile to the kitty.

_'Don't look at me like that!' _he thought. _'That guy was a thief who only looked out for his own happiness. I did the world a favor by getting rid of him.'_

Dominique could have sworn that Yuho rolled his eyes at him then, as the assassin turned to collect one wad of cash from the pile on the floor as his payment. Placing the money in his cloak pocket, he looked back to see Yuho sniffing something on the floor by the dead guy. He bent down to inspect the object more carefully; it was small and black, almost the size of an MP3 player. But there was a red blinking light on the top, with a small screen to the right. On the screen, the device was counting backwards from 20. With a jolt of shock, Dominique realized that it was a small time bomb; a trap to catch Dominique, no doubt. As soon as he understood that, an alarm sounded inside the room, causing Yuho to jump in fright. A spiky metal door now blocked the exit, and bars came down over the large windows all around them. The time on the clock had reached 9…

Quickly, Dominique grabbed Yuho and wrapped his shadow around them. From the outside, it looked like a large black cat until it shot like a lightning bolt up through the ceiling and away from the dangerous room. The timer reached five…four…three…two…one… Citizens on the streets shrieked as a large section of building exploded above their heads, sending rubble and dust onto the people below. Dominique and Yuho watched from atop a neighboring skyscraper as the chaos ensued. The assassin grinned happily at his work, while Yuho just stared at the ant-like people scurrying about on the ground. With a swish of his cloak, Dominique and his companion disappeared into the shadows.

Back at Dominique's apartment, the pair decided to watch more movies. And maybe play with string, listen to music, go to the park, eat some Doritos, play pranks on people…

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Rune was rather tired from her long trip to the bookstore as she walked lazily down the hall of the building to her front door. After unlocking it and entering, the girl put her shopping bag of books down on the counter and breathed a sigh of relief. She noticed the time after a glance to the microwave, almost surprised to learn it was eight P.M. already. She walked over to Yuho's food dish and noticed it was still as full as it had been that morning. Raising a brow in confusion, she looked around only to find him sleeping happily on a stool behind her. Shaking her head, she lightly petted the soft cat's fur, drawing her hand back when she noticed an orange substance on his head and around his mouth.

"What the-?" Upon further inspection, the powder was identified as cheese flavoring, like that found on chips. "What did you do today?" she questioned the then-awake cat, walking away to get a wet cloth to clean him. Yuho licked his lips happily.

"Meow!"

**Hm. This chapter seemed kinda off to me. It was too fast, wasn't it? Oh well. I'll work on the next one to make it better. I hope you liked my filler chapter, and sorry it took like, 16 days to update. No excuses, I'm just a lazy, writer's block-ridden procrastinator. Oh well.**

**---Jaime**


	37. Unbridled Fury

**Hey guys! I know it took me a while to update, but I was having trouble deciding which climax I would use for this story (I have three for goodness sake). However, a friend helped me decide, and so here we are! I hope you enjoy the following chapter of The Story of a Girl, muh ha ha…**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: No, I still do not own the Teen Titans. Rub it in, why don't you?**

**Ch. 37: Unbridled Fury**

It was a bright and sunny Friday morning, a few days after Yuho's adventures with Dominique. Rune was sleeping in rather late, having been up reading until nearly five A.M. the night before. It was only eleven o'clock when her mother walked into her room and opened the thick curtains, allowing light to consume the dark room while effectively waking her tired daughter. Rune glared up at her mother, squinting through the sudden light. Raven smirked down at the girl and moved to her closet to find appropriate attire for the day ahead.

"Come on, time to get up. We're going shopping," Raven said, picking out a white skirt from Rune's closet curiously before tossing it aside. Rune groaned and covered her head with a pillow, mumbling incoherently. "If you insist on doing it the hard way…"

Before Rune could react, her mattress was flipped out from under her, causing the poor girl to land on her floor in a heap of blankets as the bed floated gently back into place. Rune untangled herself from the covers and looked up at her mother tiredly before she stood and sighed in defeat. Glancing at the outfit her mother had chosen, Rune walked passed the older woman and picked out her own clothing. Raven shrugged and tossed aside the blue summer dress, not honestly expecting her daughter to wear it. It was worth a shot, though…

A few minutes later, Raven and Rune were leaving their apartment; the latter had chosen black jeans and a red T-shirt to wear, while her mother had on a long blue skirt and a white blouse. She was about four months along in her pregnancy, so Raven had decided that it was time to go buy baby clothes and other necessities for her son. As the two women walked down the hall and to the elevator, they debated over baby names for Raven's son.

"Your father suggested we name him 'Logan Jr.', and that's when I decided that I should ask you instead," Raven stated.

"What about something like…Deimos?" Rune offered, pressing the down button by the elevator doors.

"I though about that, but I didn't know if a name meaning 'fear' would be appropriate…"

"It sounds cool, though." Raven couldn't argue with that.

"What do you think of 'Dorian'?" Raven asked as the doors parted and they entered. She pressed the button for the first floor as her daughter raised an eyebrow.

"Never heard that one before."

"I was looking up baby names online yesterday," Raven admitted.

"Well, it sounds pretty neat, I suppose."

"Any other suggestions?"

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"David?"

"Ew, no. Marius?"

"Hm…pretty cool, but I'm not sure. We'll come back to that. Lucious?"

"Hm…that would be interesting…what about, 'Lucious Mark Falle'?" Raven suggested.

The two had been window-shopping for the past half hour, debating over different names for the baby. They had yet to completely agree upon a name for the child, but were getting close. Currently, they were walking on the sidewalk next to a bridal shop; Rune had a strange feeling of deja vu that was making her slightly nervous. She brushed it off as hunger, considering that they had not eaten that morning.

"I like that," Rune agreed. "And we could just call him 'Lu' for short."

"I'll run it by your father," Raven said with a small smile. "Knowing him, he'll probably wa-"

**BANG. BANG.**

Rune's heart nearly stopped at the sounds of gunfire from across the street. Civilians ran screaming into buildings for safety, whereas Rune remained motionless at the sight before her eyes. Raven Falle had fallen onto the cement, clutching her stomach and trying not to cry as her dark, thick blood pooled out around her on the ground. Rune couldn't think clearly, panic swarming through her mind at top speed. Her breathing was irregular as she remembered the dream that had plagued her for months. _The dream of a Titan dying._ She turned around to see three familiar men run away down an alley as the sound of sirens drew nearer. Shaking with both rage and grief, Rune fought back tears of her own as she took a step into the street, eyes slightly tinted red. Only when she heard a soft cry from her mother did she remember the dying woman on the ground.

Whirling around quickly, Rune knelt beside her mother and watched as the woman's body was covered in shimmering blue energy in an attempt at healing herself. Rune acted quickly, pulling her communicator out of her pocket and hitting the 'Panic' button on the side. Almost immediately, she saw Nightwing's face on the screen.

"My mom's been shot!" she yelled before he could ask what was wrong. "She needs help! We're at the corner of Main and Brunsville, hurry!"

"We're on our way," Nightwing responded before the transmission ended. Rune stuffed the communicator back into her pocket, looking down at her mother with tearful eyes.

"D-don't worry, mom. They're coming. Just hold on-"

"Rune…" Raven interrupted. Her voice was strained from the pain and effort to heal herself. "I can't do this alone…I need help…"

Rune understood immediately what her mother wanted. One hand on top of the other, Rune positioned her shaking hands above the two bullet wounds in the side of her mother's abdomen. Trying to regulate her breathing, she concentrated on the wound and nothing else. Eyes closed, slow breaths, tingling sensation in her arms and hands… She peeked through her eyelids and saw what she had been hoping for; her hands were covered in her own shimmering silver energy. Not only that, but with the combined efforts of mother and daughter, the wound was slowly closing. Rune was unaware of how much time had passed. Seconds…minutes…hours…they all meant nothing now. After a tiring effort, Raven and Rune managed to fully heal the wounds inflicted on the former. When Rune placed her hands back at her sides, she felt another hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Sebastian watching her with both sympathy and pride.

"You did it," he said.

Rune did not have the energy to smile. She look around and saw that people were coming out of the buildings now, some resuming their daily lives, some watching to see what had happened. Surrounding the mother and daughter were the other Titans; Starfire, Changeling, Cyborg, and Selina were checking over Raven to make sure she was okay. Covyll, Andrew, Kimi, and James were investigating the area across the street where the shooting took place. Sebastian knelt down next to Rune, trying to calm her down after witnessing her tremble slightly; Nightwing was talking to some police officers that had arrived around the same time as the Titans. Rune caught a few words of the conversation.

"-didn't catch them, they vanished by the warehouses on-"

"-three we didn't catch at the raid a few months ago-"

"-Scott, Eric, and Dale Morrison, they're brothers from-"

Rune froze, which didn't go unnoticed by Sebastian. She could barely hear his concerned questions as her eyes widened slightly. Those names…she should have known who they were from the moment she saw them… Eric, Scott, and Dale from her first mission had never been captured. Her body was shaking more noticeably now, and her eyes were clenched tightly closed. Sebastian, Nightwing, and Raven were watching her cautiously, wondering whether she would break down into tears or-

"I'll kill them…" she whispered so quietly that only Sebastian heard at first. Rising to her feet, she opened her eyes, which were a startling bright white, glowing dangerously to express her rage. "_I'll __**kill**__ them_!" she shouted, gaining everyone's attention.

Cyborg, Sebastian, and Nightwing all tried to grab Rune as she leapt onto a building nearby, but to no avail. She couldn't fly, but she could jump high enough to fool you. As Rune ran across the rooftops and out of sight, the four Titans across the street ran to join the others.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Covyll asked, talking about Rune's outburst.

"Titans, we need to go," Nightwing said. "Rune is on her way to find and kill the shooters. We have to get to them first and stop that from happening. Starfire and Cyborg, you-"

"Wait!" Raven said, sitting up with some help from Changeling. "Rune is in a very fragile state right now. If you get in the way of her goal, her rage won't accept it. She'll hurt you, too. You have to calm her down _without_ force; otherwise, she could end up hurting even herself. I'll go talk to her."

"No, I will," Sebastian said. Everyone stared incredulously at him. "Mrs. Falle, you just overcame death, you need rest. Rune knows me; I can stop her while the others catch the criminals."

"Sebastian, this isn't the ordinary Rune you know and love," Cyborg said, causing the younger boy to flush. "If she's anything like Raven, it's dangerous. One wrong word and you could push her over the edge."

"Isn't she already?" Sebastian countered. "I can handle it; I get that she is way beyond pissed right now, but I can handle it. Trust me," he said, looking pointedly at Raven for permission. She nodded in reply, and Sebastian took off after the runaway Titan as quickly as he could.

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The sun was halfway beneath the horizon, and Sebastian had yet to find Rune. He had been searching for hours without rest, but could not find where she had disappeared to. Her communicator had either been destroyed or deactivated, because he could not find her through its tracer. He had even enlisted his friends' help, but no one seemed to find her anywhere. He was currently running around a bunch of warehouses near the docks, ignoring the random raindrops that would fall on him; the sky was even darker now, and storm clouds were moving in.

_'How come it is that every time something bad happens, it rains?' _He wondered. Sighing, he thought, _'I've got to find her before it's too late, before she does something she'll regret forever… Rune, where are you?' _

Almost like magic, Sebastian turned a corner and saw Rune headed into a warehouse. He called out her name, but she ignored him, as expected. He ran the remaining twenty-yard distance between them and entered the building in search of her; she had disappeared again. His eyes glowed a brilliant scarlet as he punched the metal wall beside him, leaving a smoking indentation of a fist. Only when he heard screams of terror did he get over his anger and run in search of the noise. It seemed that Rune had found her prey.

Running around a multitude of boxed, he finally found her at the far end of the warehouse, standing before three cowering men. Sebastian instantly noticed Rune's fists, which were covered in a blue energy he'd only seen once before. She was advancing on the men, the intent to kill radiating off of her in waves. Sebastian ran into the scene and stepped in the way of his friend and her goal, arms out to block her path. He then noticed her eyes, which were glowing a shade of crimson so brilliant it could rival his Starbolts.

"Rune…"

"Get out of my way, Sebastian," she said, tone dangerously cold, "or you'll be sorry."

Sebastian didn't waver. "No. I cannot let you do this, Rune. If you kill them, if you even try, I'll take you down."

Rune growled. The sound was low and frightening, and it caused the three criminals to whimper in fear behind Sebastian; the boy did not even flinch. In a flash, Rune charged towards the Tameranian half-breed and aimed a punch at his face. Sebastian dodged the blow and countered by grabbing her arms to hold tightly behind her back. At this point, Eric, Dale, and Scott ran as fast as they could towards the exit, yelling about how "that demon wench" was going to murder them. Rune blindly kicked at Sebastian's legs in an attempt at freedom, squirming as much as she could to no avail.

"Let _go_!" she yelled as a burst of energy separated the two, putting ten feet between them.

Sebastian gathered up his anger and produced two glowing red Starbolts, prepared to fight if need be.

"Don't do this, Rune," he said calmly, trying to reason with her. "They aren't worth it. I don't want to see you become a murderer."

"'They aren't worth it'?" Rune repeated. "How about you get _your_ mother shot a couple times and see how 'not worth it' the shooters are then! Don't tell me you wouldn't be doing the same thing as me if Starfire was the one bleeding to death, Sebastian, because I _know_ you would!"

"And I know _you_ would be the one standing in my way and telling me to let it go, Rune!" Sebastian countered.

"Shut up, _shut up!_" She yelled, using her powers to throw a large crate at him. He blasted the crate with his Starbolts, creating a large amount of smoke in the room. Suddenly, Rune ran through the smoke and jumped on him, pinning the boy down to the ground. From up close, Sebastian could see the silent tears running down her face.

"Rune…" he whispered.

"My loved ones are all I have," she admitted angrily. "How would _you_ feel if someone tried to take away the person most important to you in this world?" she demanded.

Sebastian rolled over so that he was the one pinning Rune to the ground; she tried to get free, but he was heavier and stronger than she was. "I'd be devastated, Rune," he answered truthfully. "I'd want to kill any person who _dared_ to try and take you from me!"

Rune ceased her struggling and stared wide-eyed at Sebastian for a long time. He was breathing heavily, and his crimson irises bore into her very soul as he looked down at her. He was dead serious. Rune's eyes slowly faded back to their usual sapphire state, allowing Sebastian to see the shock hidden deep within.

"…Me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you just say…?"

Sebastian sighed and sat up, helping Rune up in the process. He looked at her, crimson meeting sapphire as they stared at each other for a few minutes that felt like hours to the teens. Finally, Sebastian turned his head to stare at the ground, a very light blush present on his face.

"Yes," he said quietly. Speaking louder, he said, "You are the most important person in my life. I do not want to see you thrown in jail, Rune. It'd be heartbreaking…"

Rune stared at the boy before her in bewilderment, wondering how anyone could care for her enough to call her their "most important person". She almost couldn't believe him, but surprisingly, deep down inside, she wanted to. She wanted so badly to believe that what he was saying was the truth. She wanted him to care for her, but sighed, knowing he was probably lying. Sebastian noticed movement in his peripheral vision, and turned to see Rune standing, offering a hand up for him; he smiled and took it.

"So what exactly are you saying, Sebastian?" she asked accusingly. She wanted to know the absolute truth, no dancing around it. "That I'm more important to you than your parents? Yeah, right."

"Not exactly…It's k-kinda hard to explain…" he responded, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I'm listening."

He looked up at her and saw that she had her arms crossed and a stubborn look in her eyes; she was not going to let it go.

"I-I need to call my dad and tell him where those crooks went…"

At the mention of the criminals, Rune's eyes narrowed in disgust. Still, she said, "I know where to find them. Now explain it to me, or I'll go finish what I started," she threatened.

Sebastian sighed. He turned pleading eyes on Rune, but they did not work. She rested her hands on her hips and waited for an explanation.

_'Crap, she is really going to make me say it! Does she really not know? Everyone said it was obvious, how can she _not_ know?'_

"Well?"

Seeing no way out of his predicament, Sebastian began explaining. "My parents are the most important _family_ I have. Covyll and Andrew are my most important _friends_. But Rune, with you, it's different… You're the most important _girl_ in my life."

Rune blinked. "W-what are you trying to say?" she asked, arms falling limply at her sides.

Are you really so blind that you don't see it, woman? Smarty yelled.

_'I don't want to make an assumption… Besides, what are the odd of him actually saying-?'_

"Rune, I love you."

**Yay for climaxes! So, was this chapter cool? I hope so. There was a power surge in the middle of it, and I was SO CLOSE to being done, but I hadn't saved it yet. I almost had a mental breakdown until I realized that Microsoft Word had recovered the file. THANK YOU, MICROSOFT!!! So yeah, this was my neat little chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**---Later!**


	38. Aftermath

**Hello, faithful readers! Apparently, I left you off at a cliffhanger last chapter, huh? Hehehe. Well, those of you who reviewed seemed to really like the last chapter, and as for those of you who didn't, I hope you liked it anyway! Now, without further delay, I bring you the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own the Teen Titans or Red X. His alter ego and the newest generation of Titans, however, are my original characters. So hah.**

**Ch. 38: Aftermath**

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_**Previously:**_

_Seeing no way out of his predicament, Sebastian began explaining. "My parents are the most important family I have. Covyll and Andrew are my most important friends. But Rune, with you, it's different… You're the most important girl in my life."_

_Rune blinked. "W-what are you trying to say?" she asked, arms falling limply at her sides._

_Are you really so blind that you don't see it, woman? Smarty yelled._

_'I don't want to make an assumption… Besides, what are the odds of him actually saying-?'_

_"Rune, I love you."_

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The storm clouds had taken over the city, and ceaselessly poured their harsh raindrops on anything they could. This included an insignificant warehouse down by the docks, which was being soaked even more due to the pounding waves from the sea crashing into the building. However, the occupants of the warehouse were oblivious to the water attacking their shelter. The possible threat of a flood didn't seem to matter at all to the two teens. Sebastian was sitting next to Rune, looking at everything except for her; a faint blush was apparent on his face, although he tried unsuccessfully to hide it. Rune, on the other hand, was staring at him unblinkingly, eyes widened in surprise and mild hope.

Sebastian was worried. It had been ten minutes since his embarrassing confession, and Rune had yet to say a thing. He thought about Rune in those minutes, though he could swear it felt like an eternity. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life. It wasn't love at first sight, more like attraction. But as time went on, he started to notice something more… Nevertheless, her silence wasn't a very good sign for the Tameranian half breed. His head swam with different scenarios, each one worse than the next, until finally he was a nervous wreck; a small sweat had broken out across his forehead.

_'What if she doesn't like me like that?' _he wondered. _'What if she laughs at me? Or maybe she'll just walk away and pretend it never happened! Or maybe she'll pity me and get all-sympathetic. Oh no, what if there's someone else!?' _Eyes widening as much as they could, Sebastian nearly screamed the next possibility. _'WHAT IF SHE LIKES __**JAMES?!**_His heart nearly stopped when he though about something as freaky as that.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Rune broke the silence surrounding them like a suffocating blanket.

"…Um…"

What a brilliant way to make the situation less awkward, Rune, Smarty stated sarcastically.

Sebastian sighed. "Don't worry about it, Rune," he said, smiling for her benefit though anyone could see he was sad. "I didn't really expect you to feel the same way, anyway."

Say something!

_'He just said he_ loved_ me for crying out loud. What do I say to that?'_

Um, I dunno, maybe…"I love you, too!"? And I thought you were smart!

Sebastian stood and offered Rune his hand, which she gratefully accepted. Only when a bright flash of lightning followed by a tremendous clap of thunder resounded in the warehouse did they notice the storm outside. They walked the short distance to the exit in relative silence, the only sounds coming from their shoes on the floor or the rain outside. Upon reaching their destination, the two teens opened the door to a terrible scene. The rain was falling in sheets, with random chunks of hail falling from the sky, as well. The wind whipped all over the place, sending plants and debris flying through the air; the buildings were also groaning against the effort to stay upright. To the left, they noticed the waves crashing up onto the pavement from the bay, spraying saltwater into the air. Basically, they weren't getting home any time soon.

Rune sighed in aggravation; she had secretly hoped to go find those three men and beat them up some more before going home. But given the horrible weather, there was no chance of that happening any time soon. She turned and wandered a few feet away to a pile of crates and sat on one as a makeshift chair. Sebastian closed the door, and opted to lean against the wall opposite to his beloved. They remained stationary for nearly a half an hour, neither one speaking as they waited for the storm to clear up. The atmosphere was both tense and relaxed, as odd as it may sound. It was relaxing to be in a quiet place with only the sound of rain to entertain your ears. On the other hand, it was tense emotionally for the two teens to be in the same room after Sebastian had said those three words everyone wants to hear. Finally, after another fifteen minutes, a savior came to break the silence.

_**Do do do da DOO do do da do**_

Sebastian never thought he'd be happy to hear that annoying ring tone until that moment. Fishing the communicator out of his pocket, he flipped open the device and saw a familiar face on the screen.

"Hey, Aqua Lad," Sebastian said. "What's up?"

"Your parents have been trying to contact you, but apparently the storm's causing too much interference," the onyx-eyed man said. It looked like he was in a cave, which was very likely. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the docks with Rune. We're trapped in a warehouse by the bay; I think we'll just have to wait it out."

"Oh, Rune's with you?" the man asked. "That's good news. Raven and Red X were worried about her."

"Mr. Falle came? Wait, how do you know…?"

Aqua Lad smiled. "There was a story on the news about Raven being shot, and Red X apparently saw it while he was on his way to do some thieving. He showed up at the Tower moments later, and last I saw, Nightwing and him were fighting."

"Oh, okay," Sebastian said. He glanced over at Rune, but she had a distant look on her face, as if she wasn't there. "Well, let them know she's fine." Aqua Lad nodded.

"Sebastian, you two need to find a way to get back to the tower soon." Noting the look of confusion on the younger male's face, he continued. "The storm is only going to get worse; a hurricane, and it's passing directly overtop of Jump. The weatherman listed places that were deemed 'unsafe' that needed to be evacuated, and the warehouses were on that list."

"Right, but how are we supposed to get through the storm to the Tower?"

The one to answer, however, was not Aqua Lad. "…The eye…" Sebastian looked over at Rune, smiling slightly when he understood her suggestion. "When the eye of the storm passes overhead, we'll head to the Tower."

"We'll have to hurry, but we can make it," Sebastian agreed. Looking back at the small screen, he said, "We'll do it."

After saying good-bye, the teen closed his communicator and stuffed it back inside his jeans' pocket. He glanced up to see Rune sitting Indian style on her crate, hands resting on her knees and eyes closed. He was going to say something, but decided against it. Sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, Sebastian sighed and closed his eyes as he waited for the storm to die down. He thought he could hear her gently whispering something, but the words didn't sound like any language he'd ever heard before. He soon dismissed the thought as pure imagination, and soon fell asleep.

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"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" Rune gently whispered for the hundredth time.

**Happiness: **YAY! Sebastian loves you! Sebastian loves you! Sebastian loves you! Sebastiain-!

**Fury: **SHUT UP, you annoying pink pest!

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" Rune repeated, trying to drown out the sounds of her personality sides fighting. 'Fury' hadn't had as interesting of an introduction as the others. In fact, the only thing Rune remembered was the little demon's first word. _'Kill,'_ it had said, just before Rune's vision went red. Rage had taken over to fulfill Rune's darkest desire: to murder those responsible for injuring her mother and for nearly killing her brother.

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…"

Rune, you can't ignore this forever…

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…"

**Fear: **What if it was all a joke? What if Sebastian changes his mind because she takes too long to answer? What if he hates her? What if-?

**Hope: **Oh, you shouldn't think like that! I'm sure Rune will realize that she loves Sebastian in time! Won't you, Rune?

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…"

**Fury: **Idiot. Why would Rune need to worry about crap like _love_? She should be plotting revenge against those naïve jerks!

As this was said, Rune felt a strong hatred course through her veins; Fury was trying to take over again. Rune clenched her teeth and took a deep breath.

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" The anger ebbed away.

Rune, talk to us! You have to face this, okay? If you sort out your feelings now, you won't make any mista-

_'What is there to sort out?'_ Rune questioned. _'He said he loves me. Good for him. End of story.'_

**Happiness: **Awe, come on! Look at that guy! How could you not love that beautiful smile, dangerous red eyes, and kind nature? Not to mention how GORGEOUS his body i-

_'That's enough!' _Rune shouted as loudly as she could via thought. It was a good thing Sebastian was asleep; otherwise, he would have seen the bright blush on her face.

**Fury: **How sickening. You're letting yourself be influenced by one boy? He's not even that attractive, if you ask me…

**Loneliness:** He'll go away…just like all the others…

Not true! None of the Titans have abandoned you, Rune, and they never will! 

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…"

If you can't get over your fears, you'll never know true happiness…

"Nalthos…Solen…Lyrisnor…"

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Rune revealed her sapphire irises and blinked a few times. The background noise of her emotions arguing died down until there was nothing but silence left. Rune glanced over at Sebastian and saw that he had fallen to his side on the ground, sleeping soundly. She stood up and walked over to him silently, kneeling to sit next to him on the floor. She took in his appearance, confident that he would never know. Jet-black hair with red tips, plain white T-shirt and faded jeans, healthy glowing skin, soft pink lips parted ever so slightly…

Wait, no. She shouldn't be thinking that. Listening closely, she noticed that the noise outside was dying down; the eye was nearing. Gently nudging his shoulder, Rune attempted to wake her friend.

"Five more minutes, Andrew…zzz." Like I said, _attempted._ Raising one eyebrow in amusement, Rune decided to try a different method. Using her powers, Rune lifted Sebastian's body onto a tall pile of crates; he remained sleeping. After a moment, she smirked.

"SEBASTIAN HELP!" She yelled loudly. Sebastian jumped up, suddenly awake and unaware of where he was.

"I'll save you, Ru-AAH!"

In his haste to rescue his friend, Sebastian slipped and fell off the crate. He would have hit the cement below had Rune not wrapped her dark blue energy around him and stopped the freefall just in time. She stood him upright and nearly giggled at his bewildered expression.

"You tricked me!" He accused.

"And your point is?" she questioned lazily.

Sebastian pouted. "Humph! You hang around Covyll too much."

"Chill out, Sleeping Beauty," Rune taunted. "The eye's almost here, we need to get ready."

**Well, this chapter certainly wasn't one of my longest. But oh well, hopefully it was enjoyable! The next chapter should have a bit more action in it. Reviews are much appreciated!**

**---Later!**


	39. Braving the Storm

**Woah! I can't believe how awesome you guys are! Thank you very much for the 300+ reviews you've left me on this story! You guys rock! And so, without further ado, I present the next chapter of TSOAG!**

**---Jaime**

**I am SO dedicating this chapter to ****everyone**** who reads this story, ****everyone**** who reviews, and ****anyone**** who's reviewed in the past. You all rock!**

**Disclaimer: You all should know the drill by now. I do not own the Teen Titans. If I did, there would have been a sixth season.**

**Ch. 39: Braving the Storm**

Rune and Sebastian walked side by side through the abandoned and trashed city streets, the lightening clouds above merely drizzling rain upon them. They were a good distance from the warehouses by now, but there was still a while to go before they reached bridge behind Titans Tower. Before setting out for home, the two had decided that since the bridge is closer to the Tower than anywhere else is, they would go there first. After that, Aqua Lad would help them get across the bay.

_"Why is it the T-car can't just pick us up here?" _Rune had asked.

_"The T-car isn't designed to travel in harsh storms like hurricanes," _he had said. _"There's too much rain for them to drive without skidding out of control and –more than likely- crashing. They could hover over the water, but if they didn't get to us before the eye passed completely, the winds would blow the car around like everything else."_

Since they left for the Tower, neither teen had said a word. Even so, it was far from silent on their long walk; the combination of the wind blowing debris and their footsteps sloshing in the puddles was loud enough to make up for the lack of conversation. Random droplets of rain trickled from the clouds, occasionally smacking onto the lone teens. The light breeze blew them towards their destination.

Although it didn't show, Rune was feeling pretty awkward around Sebastian. But who can blame her? The boy confessed his love for her, a feeling she didn't return. She wished she knew how to cheer him up, because he was her friend, after all. But considering she had never dealt with a situation like this, Rune didn't know if there was anything she or anyone else could say.

Do the words, "I love you, too" mean anything to you?

Rune suppressed the urge to sigh. _'But I don't.'_

Uh huh. Tell me again what you wished for on every birthday you can remember? Wasn't it something like, "I wish I-"

_'Yes yes, we all know what I wished for, okay? But that has nothing to do with Sebastian. It was just a foolish wish…'_

Wishes can come true, you know.

_'Not this one –not for me.'_

Rune decided to block out Smarty's words, instead opting to focus on the surrounding area. The damage done by the first half of the storm was pretty bad –there was trash and broken glass everywhere; trees were nearly torn from their roots in the ground, leaning at a dangerous angle towards the east; a few cars had been blown into the streets. She sighed as she glanced over at Sebastian, who seemed to be deep in thought. Facing forward, Rune tried to concentrate on the path before them.

Sebastian was trying to pretend that it had never happened, that he had never spilled his secret to the magnificent girl walking quickly beside him. He thought he heard her sigh gently, but dismissed it to be his imagination. He wondered if she would tell anyone else about his embarrassing little revelation; Covyll and Andrew would never let him live it down. But what did it matter? He doubted Rune would be cold enough to tell anyone, and _he_ certainly wasn't going to. For the time being, he tried to forget that it had ever happened, that he had ever said those three words to Rune. Though even as he tried to forget her, her intense cerulean eyes refused to stop swimming through his thoughts.

They had been traveling for almost ten minutes at a fast-paced walk, one-third of their journey already traveled. But suddenly it seemed that something was wrong. The skies above were darkening at a rapid velocity, swirling to cover any patches of blue the eye had left behind. The winds started picking up again, blowing from the east against the two halted travelers. A crash of thunder was heard in the distance; the rain started to fall harder than before, threatening to soak all it fell upon. Sebastian's communicator went off, and the teen wasted no time in answering it.

"Aqua Lad, what's going on?" Sebastian asked. "I thought the storm wasn't supposed to pick up again for another twenty minutes?"

"It wasn't," the older man replied, "but it seems we were wrong about that. The eye has passed, and the storm is coming back full-force. You two need to get off the streets and to the Tower, a.s.a.p."

"But we won't be able to cross the bay," Sebastian pointed out as the two teens began jogging towards their destination.

"Leave that to me. All I want you two to worry about is getting as close to the Tower as you can, and I'll help you the rest of the way."

Suddenly, Aqua Lad was pushed aside and another familiar face replaced him on the screen. "Don't worry about a thing, 'Bastian," Covyll said. "I'll be there to help out, too."

"Somehow that doesn't comfort me very much," Sebastian replied to his scowling friend. "But thanks all the same."

Aqua Lad's face now replaced his son's. "Just get to the bridge as fast as you can -? It's…to…dange…oon…" That was all Sebastian could make out before the connection was lost to the fury of the storm.

Stowing his communicator pack in his pocket, Sebastian looked around at the city. The wind was blowing violently, seemingly from every direction, making it harder for the teens to run. The trees were being blown around, some lifted from the ground by the force of the wind. The rain was falling harder now, drenching anything and everything below; lightning could be seen streaking across the skies. Sebastian was pushed to the ground from behind, landing roughly on the wet asphalt of the street with Rune on top of him, holding him down. He glanced upward in time to see a tree fly past them; Rune had protected him from being struck down. She quickly released him and stood, helping him up as well.

"Thanks," he said gratefully.

"No problem. We need to get to shelter as quickly as possible; the storm is closing in on us."

"Aqua Lad told us to get to the bridge –it's not far from here. We need to stick together and move quickly."

Rune sighed and looked east, barely able to see the bridge through the storm. Without further hesitation, the two teens hurried along towards their destination, momentarily forgetting everything that had happened earlier in the warehouse. They ran along the streets of Jump City, dodging debris and fighting the wind to reach the bridge before the storm got even worse. It wasn't long before they reached the boardwalk, only a hundred yards from the bridge. The bay looked furious, it's waves crashing against the beach so loudly one could barely be heard speaking. There was salty water in the air, blowing into their eyes and making them water from the stinging sensation.

Both knew that the storm was getting rougher, and that they had to hurry to the bridge before it got too bad. They ran past the Pier, oblivious to it's Ferris Wheel hanging precariously over the edge towards the bay. They ran through the rain and wind, drawing nearer to their destination with every pulsing heartbeat they felt. They were barely aware of the dime-sized hail raining down upon them.

At last, soaked to the bone, exhausted, and out of breath, Rune and Sebastian made their way onto the bridge. They could see Titans Tower to their left as they headed for the middle of the large structure, careful to stay balanced atop the slippery concrete. At last, they made it, halting to catch their breath and rest for the time being. The storm was still raging all around them, unwilling to let them escape it's clutches. With a sickening crack, one of the large cables broke free from supporting the bridge, swirling through the wind like a snake who's sighted prey. The next event seemed to pass in a flash. The cable falling downward; Rune's look of shock and pain as she was struck in the side; Sebastian reaching out to grab her as she fell over the side towards the vicious, dark waters below.

"RUNE!" He yelled, jumping after her impulsively. They fell through the sky, arms extended towards one another in hopes of having someone to hold on to. Their fingers brushed against each other a second before they crashed into the raging sea, unable to breathe in the dark waters.

For just a moment, everything was peaceful. Though Rune couldn't tell up from down, though her life was in imminent danger, it all seemed oddly tranquil. She was going to die, for some reason that seemed inevitable, but did it matter much? Maybe… Rune was disoriented, her lungs burning for air as she tried to remember who wouldn't want her to die. Her parents, sure, and the Titans…but there was someone else, someone she had to hold on for…

Before Rune could figure it out, she saw a dark shadow swimming towards her at an alarming speed. As it neared her, she caught a glimpse of blue before she was grabbed and pulled quickly through the water, away from death. Her lungs were on fire now as she fought to not inhale the liquid pressing in on her tired body. She was only vaguely aware when her savior stopped swimming and lifted her through a metal hatch into a large pool filled with saltwater. She twisted slightly as she was released, looking towards what she hoped to be the surface of the pool. As she began swimming towards it, she felt the pressure lessening on her exhausted body. Halfway there, Aqua Lad swam up from under her and wrapped an arm around her torso, helping her reach the top much sooner than she could have alone.

Finally, they broke through the surface of the pool, Rune at last inhaling the oxygen her lungs so desperately needed. As she panted for air, she was vaguely aware of hands lifting her out of the water and onto solid ground. Several voices said her name repeatedly as she sat upright, shivering slightly from the rush of cold air in the room. When she opened her eyes, she saw everyone there, old Titans and new. They were staring at her and Sebastian, whom she realized had his hand on her shoulder.

"Rune, Sebastian, are you guys okay?"

"What happened?"

"Sebastian, what were you thinking?"

"Oh, what a dismal condition such youths are in!"

"Should they go to the infirmary?"

"Everyone, calm down!" Now that voice was recognizable. Raven Falle neared the two shivering teens with a large blanket, wrapping it around them tightly using her powers. Rune looked up at her mother gratefully, feeling the warmth of the blanket seep into her freezing skin. "They're home safe, and that's what matters. What we need to do now is make sure they don't get sick."

No one seemed to disagree with this, and so everyone was transferred to the main room. Sebastian and Rune abandoned the blanket in favor of hot tea, both sitting on opposite ends of the giant couch. Rune let Sebastian explain what had happened at the warehouse, noting that he left out the part about his confession and her nearly murdering those men. He then explained the situation in the storm and what had happened on the bridge. Raven glanced at her daughter, clearly suspicious that there was something Sebastian wasn't telling them. Rune merely shook her head a fraction of an inch, indicating that it would be explained later. When the tale was finished, Rune thanked Aqua Lad for saving her and retreated to the safety of her mother's room; the dark interior was comforting as the storm raged on outside.

Not too long afterwards, Raven entered the room herself, intent on speaking with her daughter. Rune was sitting on the floor, unwilling to soak her mother's bed sheets. Raven levitated some candles around the room, setting them on random surfaces and lighting them simultaneously.

"First I'll get you some dry clothes," Raven said while walking over to her closet, "and then you can explain to me what Sebastian evidently left out."

"Are you sure Dad's going to be okay out there with Nightwing?" Rune asked as her mother withdrew a black leotard and a blue cloak.

"Well, I threatened to send them to another dimension if they started fighting again, so that should keep them submissive for at least two hours." Raven handed the outfit to her quizzical daughter, who shrugged and went behind purple changing screen in the corner to get out of her wet clothes. "So what happened when you fled the scene?" Raven asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. Rune glanced over and noticed that her mother had changed into a lavender maternity dress since she had been shot.

"Well wait. Before I go into that, is the baby okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Thanks to you, we were able to heal both his wounds and mine. He might come out with a scar, but nothing too serious."

Rune nodded, relieved by the news. Then she went into the lengthy explanation of where she found the shooters, what she had nearly done, Sebastian's interference, and finally to his confession. She explained everything her 'voices' had told her during her brief meditation, and finally concluded her story with, "-and I'm at a huge loss for what to do."

The two women were sitting on the circular bed, having been in the dark room for quite some time. Raven had listened to everything her daughter explained silently, absorbing every detail and not interrupting once. Rune looked up at her mother, hoping to hear some answer to her problems. Instead, the woman remained silent for a few minutes, still considering all the information she had been presented with. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Raven Falle gave a response.

"Well, Rune, thank you for caring enough about your brother and me to chase after those men. But Sebastian was right; revenge is not worth you going to jail, or worse, getting the death sentence. Fortunately, your brother and I are fine, and I'm sure those men will be hiding for a long time.

"As for Sebastian's confession, I can understand why you would be confused. I was similarly confused about your father when he first told me he loved me. I'm sorry to say, I can't tell you if you're in love; that's something you have to figure out on your own. But there are a few signs."

"Such as…?" Rune asked, fiddling with the hem of the cloak she wore.

"Well…when your heart skips a beat because he walks in the room, when you get butterflies in your stomach because he's near, when you take more care in looking nice before you see him…I'd say those are sure signs that you at least _like_ him to some degree."

For the rest of the night, neither woman mentioned Sebastian. Instead, the two conversed about Raven's days as a Titan, browsed through the many books in her mother's bookshelf, and Raven even explained where certain artifacts in her room came from and what they were for. Rune appreciated the distractions from the day's events, and eventually fell asleep to a story about Raven's father nearly destroying the world.

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I finally got over my writer's block, YAY! So this Monday (August 6****th****) will be my first day at high school, and so I will have to get back into doing homework and such. But that shouldn't stop me from writing (It's not like I update much, anyway, hehe). I'm sorry this chapter was short, and the ending seemed kind of weak to me, but oh well. It will get better, I promise! Again, thank you so much for your kind reviews, you guys are too cool.**

**---Later!**


	40. Telepathic Tragedies?

**Hello, faithful readers! I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this out—the first three weeks of school are…interesting and hazardous to your health. ANYWAY, no more excuses. I'm just an amateur writer trying to entertain people with my story. Please forgive my procrastination. So here we are, chapter forty…..wow. That's a big number…hehe. And I would have had this chapter out TWO DAYS AGO, however FanFiction decided to be weird to me and said I couldn't upload it... Okay okay, I get it. No more stalling, on to the story!!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, standard disclaimers apply. The Titans, Jump City, Red X…(sigh) none of them are mine… But one day, a miracle might happen and you'll all see me on the news announcing the arrival of Teen Titans Season 6—owned by me. Yeah, dreams are nice…**

**Ch. 40 (zomg): Telepathic Tragedy?**

We rejoin our somewhat troubled heroes as they "enjoyed" hanging out together in the main room of Titans Tower. Andrew sat in the middle of the couch, watching the entertaining scene occurring in front of him. Really, onlookers might think that the youngest Titans were sugar high. Though Andrew, having seen his friends go wild before, knew it was simply because all the parents had gone to the movies together. When there are no adults in the tower, Covyll is free to be as sarcastic and perverted as he wants; Sebastian can practice trying to fly without feeling like an idiot in front of his mom and dad; James can attack whomsoever he pleases; and Kimi is allowed to drink coffee without being ratted out (she can't hold her caffeine very well).

Currently, Selina and Rune were watching Sebastian as he repeatedly jumped into the air, thinking happy thoughts with all of his might. Though no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to fly. Occasionally, Covyll would utter some sarcastic comment: "Wow, Sebastian! You stayed in the air for, what, half a second longer the thirtieth time? Such progress…" It was at those times when Sebastian would _accidentally _throw about eighteen crimson starbolts at the Atlantian. Poor, unfortunate dimwit…

When Covyll wasn't criticizing Sebastian's flight attempts, he was foolishly teasing James. Melody had given the red head an innocent kiss on the cheek, eliciting from the stoic teen a blush as dark as his hair. Covyll, having witnessed this act, began singing: "James and Melody sittin' in a tree!" Melody was left confused as James immediately threw wind blades at his enemy to shut him up, which did not work too well. Eventually, Covyll and James ended up rolling around on the floor hitting each other with Kimi and Melody cheering them on.

"Woohooo!" Kimi shouted, pumping her flaming fists into the air. "Yeah! Kick his butt, James! Covyll, you sissy! You call that a _punch_?! HEY! No biting!"

Andrew had a big grin on his face, watching his love interest go crazy after her tenth cup of coffee. When he had tried to get her to drink some decaf three cups ago…well, let's just say you should never get between Kimi and caffeine… Back with Sebastian, he had decided on a new approach to flying. Standing on the back of the couch, he spread his arms out and jumped as high as he could, thinking the most joyful thoughts he could to aide him. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, he ended up landing on his back side. As the Tameranian half-breed sat sadly on the floor in defeat, Rune made a statement that stunned Andrew.

"So you're just going to give up?"

"Hm?" Sebastian replied.

"Are you just going to give up, or are you going to try again?"

_'Funny,' _Andrew thought. _'That's almost exactly what _she_ said.'_

_**(Wait for it…NOW!) **_**FLASHBACK!!:**

It was a sunny day in Lovelock, Nevada, the type that could lighten even the most bitter person's mood. The sun was shining down upon a laughing, six-year-old Andrew as he practiced flying before his paternal grandparents, who cheered him on happily, proud of their grandson. His parents, however, were not so enthusiastic about their son's abilities. They stood huddled together on the back porch as Andrew ran around, occasionally jumping up and flying for a few feet before touching back down.

"Look! I stayed up longer that time! Did you see? Did you?" He would ask his Nana and Grandpop. Smilingly, they would praise him for his accomplishments, while his mother and father would look on in disgust.

"Surely an orphanage would take him?" Mrs. Tawnsome asked her husband desperately. He shook his head in disagreement.

"They wouldn't want him any more than we do, Lydia."

"Surely you don't plan to _keep_ him?" she asked incredulously, referring to her son as though he meant nothing to her –as though he weren't human.

Mr. Tawnsome sighed. "What if we ask my parents to take him?" he asked. "You can obviously see how much they love the boy."

Andrew, who had been accidentally listening in on the conversation via thought waves, leapt for joy at the concept. Living with Nana and Grandpop? That would be wonderful! In fact, he was so overjoyed that he flew nearly seven feet into the air, a high accomplishment compared to the three feet he could maintain. Unfortunately, he heard a terrible thought from his mother.

_'If they want the little __**freak**__, they can have it.'_

Eyes widened in shock, pain, and confusion, Andrew fell from the sky and landed on his back in the soft grass; his grandparents stood as though to rush to his side, but hesitated, waiting to see if he would rise again. His parents watched stoically, as though reluctant to even glance at the child. Andrew sat up, clutching his left shoulder with tears brimming his saddened, coal eyes.

_'…Why?' _he questioned. _'Why do Mommy and Daddy…hate me so much…?'_

As he wiped the tears from his eyes, a shadow fell over his shaking figure. He looked up to see his Nana looking down at him kindly. She bent down to his level, close enough for him to see the few streaks of gray in her ebony tresses and the glimmer of wisdom in her raven irises.

"Well?" She asked. "Are you just going to give up like that, or will you try again?"

Andrew stared in amazement at the elderly woman facing him before smiling and rising to his feet. After that, he tried again and again to fly even a little bit higher, to stay in the air just a few seconds longer. As he practiced, he also worked on blocking out all thought –whether his own or not. It still upset him that his parents disliked him so unjustly, but he realized something important that stayed with him for a very long time.

_'At least Nana and Grandpop love me!'_

**endFlashback.**

Andrew was drawn from his reverie when an unfamiliar voice intruded upon his thoughts. His attention went first to Rune and Selina, seeing as how the voice was female. They, however, were staring behind him, along with Sebastian and Kimi. Andrew turned in his seat to see Covyll slumped against the ground with a shallow gash on his stomach, though that was not the center of everyone's attention. Standing in the center of the main room were James and Melody, the latter hugging the former while singing a haunting harmony. The song had no lyrics, for it did not need them; Melody simply sang with the words "ah" and "la". The melody itself was beautiful, but the singer's entrancing voice enhanced its stunning delivery. The strange part about it all was, as she was singing, Andrew began to feel calm, like he should not fight with anyone...

It was too strange. Andrew could not tear his eyes away from Melody's ethereal beauty, and he could not ignore her hypnotic voice.

_'Wait a second…'_ he thought. Andrew concentrated solely on Melody, trying to block out the thoughts of his fellow team mates and the music flowing through the room so he could focus on her thought pattern alone. His eyes briefly flashed white once he had a lock on her waves, and he was not too surprised by what he heard.

_'Do not fight anymore,' _he heard. _'Please be calm and rational. There is no need for you to feel angry or embarrassed. You should be happy. Smile, and care not what that boy thinks…'_

Apparently, the song was directed towards James, though it was affecting everyone else, as well. Andrew felt happy, yes, and successful due to being right about his discovery. He stood up and walked over to the blonde hugging the murderer, careful not to startle her as he placed his hand over her mouth. She opened her eyes questioningly, staring at the smiling boy beside her.

"Would you please refrain from hypnotizing my friends?" he asked politely. She seemed to only understand one word of his question, but knew the meaning of his tone.

"Hypnotize…? Eh he he! Gomen nasai, Andrew-san," she responded, releasing James from the hug he was really enjoying. As everyone came out of the trance, most seemed confused about what happened. The only others who appeared to have realized what went on were Rune, Sebastian, and James. Melody floated cheerily by James' side, while Covyll stood and staggered over to the couch.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" he demanded. "What happened?"

"It seems our friend Melody isn't as harmless as she looks," Rune said, staring hard at the object of her curiosity.

"She can spellbind anyone she pleases using her voice," Andrew said. "Apparently, our parents didn't think this information was necessary to tell us. Alas, we were unfortunately caught off guard in their evil ploy to entrance us with Lady Melody's beautiful voice!" he said, his eyes shining with the expert tears of an actor.

Kimi applauded the act, whereas everyone else simply shrugged. They'd heard freakier explanations before… After that, Sebastian suggested that they watch a movie together. The eight of them decided on a horror-comedy to pass the time, all aside from Andrew. As everyone settled on the couch, he opted to take a walk outside. Kimi, Covyll, and Sebastian were mildly concerned, but he dismissed it as cabin fever and left them to their entertainment.

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Andrew was sitting on the roof of the Tower, staring out at the dark waters of the bay under a moonless sky. He was once again thinking about his past, something that confused him greatly. One the one hand, he felt saddened and betrayed by his parents for hating him so much. Then again, he had the greatest time living with his grandparents for those five years… He wondered if his parents even remembered him? But then again, he didn't really care—he loved Cyborg and Bumble Bee, and they were his real parents. True, his DNA does not match theirs, but _they_ are the ones who cared for him ever since he was eleven. _They_ were the ones who asked to be his guardians after his Nana and Grandpop died. Smiling, he was satisfied with that fact.

Andrew remembered the first day he met Cyborg and Bumble Bee at the orphanage in Nevada. As he was told later on, they had just finished a mission in Lovelock and had passed through on their way home. All the other children there were either frightened by their odd appearance or reluctant to be polite to 'such freaky…things!', as Andrew had heard some of the older orphans think. But Andrew was so awed by their unusualness, so amazed that there were other people more like _him_. He wanted to go greet them, to show them that _he,_ too, was special. But he was too afraid that they would reject him, just like his parents –his uncles no aunts, cousins, anyone that was old enough in his family to care for him- none of them cared. It was logical for him to think that these two strange people would feel the same.

But either through luck or fate, Bumble Bee took an interest in the skinny pre-teen that was Andrew. She had seen him writing in a journal of sorts that day, but he did it in a curious manner; he would look up at someone in the room, stare intently at them for a moment or so, then scribble something down in his purple journal. Little did she know, he used that book to write down the thoughts of others that he found interesting. She told him in later years that on that first day, she happened to walk past him as he wrote down a thought of her own.

_"Woman with bee wings, 4:16 p.m. in selection room, October 2__nd__; 'I wonder why that little guy stays separated from the others? It seems even his bed is far away from the rest. What's his secret?'_

_"My Thought: I wonder what they're like?"_

The next day, Bumble Bee dragged her husband back to the orphanage to find out more about Andrew Tawnsome. When they were told that he was usually a loner (for the manager didn't know about his abilities), they arranged a meeting with him. Andrew was so shocked that they wanted to see _him,_ of all the kids there. It was a great day for him…

**Flashback:**

Three people were sitting on a bench in the orphanage courtyard: a woman with bee wings on her back, a cyborg, and a boy who could read minds. The two adults sat across from the boy, studying him carefully, as he did to them in return. Their staring contest went on for quite a while, Andrew hardly blinking as he took in their appearances.

_'This kid seems too afraid of us. What was Bee thinking?'_

_'Maybe I was wrong, maybe he isn't special…'_

Using all the courage he had, Andrew said, "…You're wrong…" The two adults looked at him strangely, wondering what he meant. "I…I'm not afraid of you, and I _do_ have special abilities. I just don't show them very often…"

Bumble Bee pumped her fist in the air, smiling brightly. "I knew it!" she said. "Didn't I tell you, Sparky? I _knew_ there was something different about this one!"

"So you can read minds, little guy?" Cyborg asked. Andrew nodded. "Cool."

_'That could come in handy during missions…'_

"What kind of missions?" Andrew asked. "Are you two spies?"

"Well, not exactly," Bumble Bee responded. "We're Titans."

Andrew's eyes lit up at once with the shock of recognition. They were with the _Teen Titans_! They were legendary heroes that saved the world and all that jazz –they were just like him! Well…he had never used his powers to save anyone, but still…

"So Andrew, how would you like to come live with us? You know, be adopted?"

The boy's jaw dropped. He flew over the table and gave the two adults as huge of a hug as he could muster. "I WOULD LOVE TO!!!" he shouted, causing them to laugh.

**endFlashback.**

Andrew sighed from his place on the roof, smiling in remembrance. From inside the tower, he heard shrieks of terror followed by mirthful laughter; his friends were obviously enjoying their movie.

_'Perhaps I should join them?'_

**Well, that chapter didn't end with a bang, but oh well. I hope you guys found this look into Andrew's mind interesting! He lived happily with his paternal grandparents until he was 10, when they passed away. No one else in his family wanted him, so he was sent to the orphanage for the next year until Cy and Bee adopted him. Yay! And his Grandparents were very kind, loving people who embraced his awesomeness rather than fear it. Cool? I hope so. And the title of this chapter has a question mark with it because it's up to you, as the reader, to decide if his past was tragic or not. It can go either way... Anyway, sorry for the wait, and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

**As an added note, you might have seen that in the third chapter I said Raven was 17 when she gave birth to Rune...yeah, that was a mistake on my part. Raven was 17 when she met/dated Red X, 18 when she married him, and 21 when she gave birth to Rune. Yayness.**

**---Jaime.**


	41. Departing and Secret Sorrows

**'Ello! Thank you for the nice reviews last chapter—I'm sorry it wasn't very eventful, but hey, looking into the mind of Andrew is always fun! Anyway, here's the next chapter of TSOAG. Please enjoy, and forgive me for not updating sooner!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I am in no way affiliated with the Awesome creator of Teen Titans, his show, or any other important people I neglected to mention. So nyah.**

**Ch. 41: Departing and Secret Sorrows**

Seventeen Titans stood in the main room of Titans Tower, each either seated or standing anywhere they could around Nightwing and Bumble Bee, who stood before them all by the rather large television. Kimi, Covyll, Selina, Speedy, Mas and Menos were seated on the couch. James stood leaning against the couch behind his sister, whose hand was currently held by a certain silver-eyed Atlantian. Sebastian stood by his mother next to the computers and security system; Rune, Andrew, and Aqua Lad stood several feet apart near the windows overlooking the bay. Cyborg, Changeling, and Melody all stood on the opposite side of the couch near an exit. The two team leaders had called everyone to an important meeting ten minutes ago, claiming to have important news for the younger generation. Now it was finally time to see what the announcement was.

"As you all know," Bumble Bee started, "the Titans East are in charge of protecting Steel City. Unfortunately, we don't always have as many heroes as we need on the job. That's where you come in."

"Four of you are going to move to Steel City and become Titans East members," Nightwing stated. "That way there will be plenty of us in both cities. You'll still receive your daily training, and all of your things will be moved to the East Tower.

"Now it's just a matter of deciding who goes and who stays; any volunteers?"

Almost immediately, Kimi raised her hand, a few sparks emanating from her fingers in her excitement. "I'll go! I'll go!" she said enthusiastically. Andrew looked over at her with a crestfallen expression. He flew to her side and grasped her hands in his own, looking down at her intensely.

"But Princess," he started, "if you leave, my heart will surely break in two!" Kimi gaped at him.

"Good Sir, I could never leave you!" she replied, tears brimming in her eyes. "You will still see me, only now it will be every other week."

"You won't forget about me and fall in love with another, will you?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"I could never give my heart to anyone but you."

"Do you promise?" he whispered.

"Ladies never lie." They embraced after that, both smiling and laughing lightly. About half of the room looked at them in confusion, one fourth in amusement, and the rest had grown so used to such actions it wasn't odd anymore.

Bumble Bee nodded. "Anyone else want to come willingly?" she asked. There was no reply. Sighing, she said, "Alright, then. We didn't want to force anyone, but if there are no more volunteers…" She glanced to Nightwing, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Kimi is coming; Melody will come, but she'll be back twice a week for English lessons with Starfire; Then also Selina and Covyll."

The room fell to immediate silence as a gust of wind passed by, knocking several loose papers off the desk by Cyborg. Covyll smirked as everyone looked back at James, who was surprisingly _not_ glaring at anyone. Instead, he cleared his throat and looked straight at Bumble Bee and Nightwing, eyes darting between the two occasionally.

"I would like to respectfully ask you to make an adjustment to that list," he stated quietly, though his voice seemed to be carried on a light breeze for all to hear.

"Do you have a reason?" Nightwing asked authoritatively. James nodded once.

"I do not like the idea of that…person…living with my sister without me there to keep him in line."

"'Keep him in line'?" Aqua Lad quoted; he would have been affronted had he not known his son well enough.

"Yeah, to tell you the truth," Speedy said, "I don't want that brat with us any longer than necessary."

Covyll glared at the orange-haired man beside him. "Hey! I'm not a brat, you bloody jerk!"

"Yes, you are," everyone minus Selina and Melody said. Covyll flushed and crossed his arms, oblivious to how much more childish it made him look. Selina giggled and squeezed his hand softly; he peeked at her through his eyelids and smirked.

"Back to the matter at hand," Nightwing said, "if Covyll doesn't go, then _you_ have to, James." Only a few adults and Rune noticed his fleeting glance at Melody before he replied.

"That will be fine." A knowing smirk was shared amongst the witnesses as Bumble Bee agreed.

"Looks like you're staying, Covyll."

"Awe!" He then proceeded to curl into a ball and pout as Selina patted his shoulder comfortingly.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Selina sat in the lighted room as her brother carelessly piled his clothes into a suitcase, leaving two outfits in the dresser for tomorrow. It was Friday, and the departing Titans would be leaving on the coming Sunday; therefore, they needed to be ready to go. Selina planned to pack later that night, but James had decided to get a head start—he had nothing better to do. The girl sighed and began removing the clothes to refold them neatly and gently place them inside her brother's suitcase.

"You know I would have been fine, right?" She asked. "You don't have to…worry about me so much anymore."

James looked at her in his peripheral vision as he stuffed his books carefully into a black backpack. "Do you not want me to come?"

"No, no! I-I didn't mean it like that…" She looked up as he plopped the heavy bag on his bed; the force made her bounce up, and she giggled.

James looked kindly at his younger sister. "I know."

"It's just that… It almost feels like you're not living your own life, because you're always trying to protect me… But I can do that myself now!" she insisted, as though trying to make him proud. "These Titans have taught me so much about self-defense, just like you did…"

James sighed. "I know you can handle yourself, especially against that…" he twitched, "_person_… And what life have I got to live?" he asked. "You're the only one that trusts me or ever has a conversation with me. The others don't like me, so here or there makes no difference; except that _there_ I'd have someone to talk to."

"James, please don't… I know what you're thinking, and you know I don't believe it. You're _**not **_a murderer. It's not that no one else likes you; they just haven't had the chance to get to _know_ you yet. Things have changed since last year's incident; _you've_ changed, too. And I want you to come, but only if you truly want to."

James nodded, and then did something very uncharacteristic to his nature. He walked over to his baby sister and gave her a hug. Though shocked at first, Selina soon hugged him back, smiling brightly.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A young couple stood on the Pier in Jump City, overlooking the bay as the sun set slowly on the horizon. The scene was very romantic, what with the waves gently crashing along the shoreline and the fluttering of wings as the seagulls flew home. A warm breeze drifted about on the cool evening; it blew a lock of blonde hair into the girl's face. The boy chuckled and lifted his hand to tenderly brush it away. Chocolate eyes locked onto cerulean as the two leaned in for a kiss. However, just as it was about to happen, a shrill, girlish scream was heard in the distance from Titans Tower…

x.X.x

"QUICK! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!"

"Are you crazy?! You don't mix chocolate and lemon juice! That'll taste like—"

"FISH?! You're not serious! My dad and I are from Atlantis, for crying out loud!"

"-why you would try some of Changeling's tofu, I'll never know-"

"…What…is _that_?"

"It's sautéed- HOLY MUFFIN, IT'S MOVING!"

**Bang. Clatter. Splash.**

**Sizzle. **_"Bloody son of a-!" _**Crash.**

(insert high-pitched girly scream here)

x.X.x

Rune had been listening to the commotion in the kitchen for quite some time now, and was rather curious as to what the boys were up to. Covyll, Andrew, Sebastian, Speedy, Mas, and Menos had taken it upon themselves to cook dinner for the night. However, it did not seem to be going too well… She was standing outside the door to the Main Room, locked out thanks to an embarrassed Mas who had given her a rather long, Spanish explanation. Unfortunately for our heroine, she did not speak a word of the language. After several shouts, crashes, and "merciful cupcakes, what did you put in **that**?"s, a small group had formed outside the door. Upon hearing who would be making dinner, several of the Titans left on an "important mission" that Rune suspected would take place in a pizzeria. The only ones left beside herself were James, Starfire, Bumble Bee, Kimi, Selina, and Melody.

Fifteen minutes of silence passed before the door was opened and the eavesdroppers allowed entrance to the what-used-to-be-a-kitchen. There were ingredients everywhere –flour on the floor, marinades splattered all over the counters, random pieces of raw meat and vegetables lying about, and a sticky orange substance by the couch that hissed if you looked at it for too long… Not to mention the multitude of dishes that had been piled unceremoniously into the sink. Cautiously, as though walking onto a battlefield, the seven arrivals made their way to the dinner table, which had been cleaned and set rather nicely compared to the disaster area formerly known as the kitchen. The thirteen Titans sat around the table and stared at the feast laid out before them. The meal actually looked edible, yet Bumble Bee and Starfire were very unwilling to touch anything.

"The last time I tried some of these guys' cooking," Bumble Bee explained upon Kimi's questioning, "I had a nightmare about dancing sponges and a piece of tofu that wanted to rule the world…"

Despite these warning signs, Rune and James decided to be brave and take the first bites. Rune took a small serving of what appeared to be spaghetti, while James grabbed a spoonful of cheesy vegetables. Both glanced at each other before taking simultaneous bites, chewing slowly to take in all the warm flavor of their food. Their spectators watched in fascination as the two chewed the food slowly, taking in the flavors of the meals. James nodded his head slightly in acceptance, taking another bite with more confidence than the last. Rune, however, turned slightly green as she swallowed the "spaghetti".

"…It….was ok…." She said, trying to be polite, though everyone could hear the strain it took. After a moment, she couldn't take it anymore; with speed rivaling that of Mas y Menos, she tore out of the room and towards a bathroom, hands covering her mouth. Sebastian and Andrew laughed at Covyll and Speedy, who blushed intensely. Needless to say, they had been the ones to make the spaghetti.

"Told you not to put in _fish…_" Covyll mumbled to Speedy.

"Oh, like the vinegar you added had nothing to do with it," the man retorted indignantly.

While the two continued to argue about the correct spaghetti ingredients, the rest of the group (minus Rune, who had yet to return) delved into the remainder of the meal on the table. Some of the food actually tasted pretty good, while some was downright inedible. Half an hour later when the food was finished and Covyll and James were forced to wash dishes –simply because they could do it the fastest- Kimi and Bumble Bee went to go check on the missing Rune Falle. They made their way down a dark hallway towards her room, making small talk as they came upon her door. Bumble Bee knocked lightly, calling out the blue-haired girl's name in the process.

There was no answer.

"Where could she be?" Kimi asked. The older woman shrugged and pulled out her communicator, using the device to trace Rune's location. The screen displayed a diagram of Titans Tower with a blue dot flashing on the screen, giving away Rune's current position. Without wasting any time, the two females ran up five flights of stairs and down three hallways until they reached the seventh room on the eleventh floor of the Tower—a room barren of anything but extra pillows and blankets. They entered to see Rune meditating on a pile of raven pillows, eyes closed as she chanted slowly and quietly.

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" she said, voice barely above a whisper; her eyes were closed, lashes gently resting against her pale cheeks. Her breathing was calm as she sat Indian-style. If it wasn't for her soft chanting, she could have been asleep.

"…Hey, Rune?" Bumble Bee began quietly, trying not to startle the young girl; she had once interrupted Raven during her meditation, and it was not pretty.

"Nalthos Solen Lyr…" One eye peeked from behind ebony lashes, a curious expression etched clearly in the sapphire iris. "Yes?"

"We just wanted to make sure you're okay," Kimi said. "You disappeared earlier; are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine. I just…"

"Say no more," Bumble Bee interrupted, seating herself on a pile of pillows. "I've tried some of Speedy's cooking before and trust me, if it's not fish, it's not edible." Kimi giggled at the joke; Rune cracked a smile.

"So what've you been up to for the past three hours? Meditating?" Kimi asked. Rune nodded.

"Yeah, it's…calming. It helps you think more clearly when there's a lot on your mind."

Kimi bounded up to Rune and grabbed her hands, a bright smile on her face. "Can I try it with you? Plllleeeaaassse?" Rune flinched as bright green eyes penetrated her own with their puppy-like cuteness. She sighed in defeat and nodded her consent. "YAY!"

Kimi and Bumble Bee sat in the same fashion as Rune, hands resting on their knees as they looked to Rune for instructions.

"Alright…my mother told me to find my center. Go somewhere that makes you feel calm and content, like a waterfall or a forest. And when you can't be there in the physical world, let your mind take you there."

The other two women nodded in understanding and closed their eyes, each traveling to a different place in the world with the power of imagination. As they began breathing in synch, Rune spoke her mantra clearly enough for them to understand the pronunciations. Soon enough the room was filled with the soft chanting of the Azarathian mantra, a breathy chorus of unknown words and soft octaves. Bumble Bee was atop a skyscraper, sitting just below the billions of glittering stars and planets not usually visible in the city.

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" She was totally at peace listening to the gentle buzz of city life hundreds of feet below her.

Kimi was on a hilltop in the highlands, the grass blowing gently in the breeze as the puffy white clouds floated lazily overhead. A small smile graced her lips as she steadily repeated the mantra. "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" All was right in her world as the winds caressed her face, carrying with it the sweet scent of fresh grass.

Rune sat Indian-style on a smooth rock in the middle of a dark lake; a waterfall cascaded downward from a large cliff as though descended from the full moon above, creating just enough background noise to prevent stifling silence. The night was dark and cool, clear and lonely. Rune sat unsmiling, repeating her mantra methodically, repeatedly.

"Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" A twinge of pain in her chest; something was wrong. "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" What was happening? Was it her instincts –or perhaps a warning? "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" No…it was inside of her. There was something upsetting the balance in her heart. "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…"

The night in her mind became colder, causing a shiver to run up her spine. The sound of rustling cloth made her open her eyes. The scenery was darker; the moon had disappeared behind black storm clouds, casting ominous shadows upon the land. Standing on the water surrounding Rune in a semi-circle were six exact clones of her; their only differences were their hair and eye colors. In order from left to right, there was silver Fear glancing around the lake with wide eyes. Lavender Hope hovered with a glitter of foresight in her pale eyes; and crimson Rage, irises aglow in the dimness of night, glared into space. Green Intelligence, A.K.A. Smarty stood facing Rune with a peculiar look in her grassy eyes; and pink Happiness was in constant motion, bouncing up and down from her place above the watery glass. Lastly, Loneliness stood underneath the shadow of a willow, her figure barely visible with her obsidian hair that was as black as the night sky. Rune blinked once in confusion, wondering who these women were, though inside she already knew the answer.

"Hey, Rune," Smart said with a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you in person. Well, technically, in mind…but you understand."

The clouds looming overhead continued to swirl about, all light extinguished from the moon and stars above. However, there was a strange light emanating from the very core of the lake which cast an eerie glow upon the eight young women gathered there.

"…This is…my mind?" Rune questioned. "I-I thought I had only imagined it."

"Nope!" said Happiness. "This is the real deal!"

"But why is it so…"

"Cold, dreary, and lonesome?" Fear offered. Rune nodded her head in agreement. "Well…it's because of your heart. Lately it's been crying-"

"Wait, what?" Rune asked. "Why would it be-? Are you saying I'm sad?"

"Why _else_ would someone cry?" Rage responded, her voice darker and tone deadly. "Ignorant fool…"

Just then, something very rare happened; for he second time in seventeen years, Loneliness spoke. "…The clouds have been here since Tiffany left, but there was always a huge patch of blue sky above this lake. But ever since Rage first appeared…the skies have all been gray." The crimson lady crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "However, the last time your heart cried was…" She didn't need to continue; everyone could tell what she meant.

"So why is it-? …What is it I'm supposed to be sad about? My mother and brother are alive, I don't care about Tiffany and the other B.L.O.N.D.E.S., and I no longer have to worry about school. I have no reason to be sad," the confused girl stated logically.

The other seven personalities could only look at her, some in amusement and some in regret.

"We figured you'd know," Smarty said. "I mean, _I_ know, so you _have_ to!"

"Just think about it, Rune!" Hope spoke up. "Deep inside, you know the answer…"

Rune closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" Over and over the mantra swam throughout her mind, echoing of the trees and the waterfall. "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" It was there, she could feel it. There _was _a sorrow lurking in her heart. But why? "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…" There was a memory, something she had been subconsciously trying to forget. It was fuzzy…an outline… "Nalthos Solen Lyrisnor…"

And with a flash, she suddenly remembered what she had been trying so hard to ignore as Sebastian's voice rang clearly in the darkness.

**"Rune, I love you."**

Smarty smirked. "Bingo."

**Okay, so I really did try to get this chapter out sooner! I was going to end it after James's scene with Selina, but that was way too short. So then I tried thinking up more scenarios for my beloved Titans, and that took a while…I'm sorry!! Please forgive this broke, procrastinating authoress with too much homework… Yeah, but who cares about excuses? I've FINALLY updated, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. **

**---Later!!**


	42. Don't Think It's Over Part 1

**Hm… Okay, my last update was AGES ago…and as for that, I'm sorry if I annoyed anyone. I've been busy with life… I went to my sister's wedding in Florida; I've actually gone OUT of my house recently (wow! Since when do I do that??); My parents keep borrowing my computer for days on end; …and yeah, those aren't anything more than excuses. I promise I'll try harder. And I hope you all have(had) very happy holidays, and a happy New Year!**

**---Jaime**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

**Ch. 42: Don't Think It's Over (The Fun's Just Begun) Part 1**

The dawn was cool and clear as the sky gently lightened on the horizon. Rune had been awake the entire night, going over a plethora of scenarios and emotions in her head that might explain the unusually morbid world her personalities lived in. Unfortunately for our heroine, she had come no closer to finding an answer, yet had created another multitude of questions in the process. Now, thoroughly tired and dejected, she trudged into her room and crawled into the warm, inviting bed by the wall. Letting loose a quiet sigh, she drifted off to dreamland just as the sun peeked through the slit between her curtains.

"Rune!" Something loud an annoying yelled, pounding on the blue-haired girl's door. "Wake up, woman, we've got a long day ahead of us."

"Covyll-!"

"Oh! Are you going to break down the door?"

"No!" "Yes!"

"This should be entertaining…"

"I must agree with you there, Kimi…"

"On the count of three. One… Two… THREE!"

**WHAM! Thud.**

"…ow…"

"Anata wa kega o shimashita ka, Covyll-san?"

"Huh?"

"Smooth, Covyll."

"And _you _could do better, Loverboy?"

There were a few beeps, some laughter, and the sound of a door opening as five unwelcome visitors entered the dark bedroom. Sebastian went to wake Rune while the others checked out her room, curious since they had never been there before.

"Hey, Rune?" … "Yoohoo, Ruuune?" … "Um…"

"Oi, wench, _wake up!_"

"Covyll, stop calling her-!"

In an instant, several large books and some other random objects were hurtled at Covyll's head. Andrew and Kimi were the only ones to see Rune's hand covered in navy energy as she continued her assault on the unfortunate Atlantian; they laughed quietly at the newfound knowledge. When Covyll finished cursing and hid from the attack, Rune sat up in her bed and glared in his direction. Sebastian smirked while Melody clapped at the show of power. Covyll grinned sheepishly as he stepped out from her closet.

"Maybe _now_ you'll think twice before insulting me, hm?" Her voice sounded dangerous and tired, leaving everyone to come to the conclusion that she was not a morning person.

"Oi, when'd you learn how to do that?" the silver-eyed boy asked, coming to stand beside Sebastian.

"I've been working on it for a while now," came her cryptic response. "Anyway, magic aside, _what_ are you all doing in my room?" The group broke out into a collective grin, leaving the sleepy girl wary of their intentions.

"We've decided," Andrew began, "to have one last fun day before half the team leaves for Steel City."

"We're gonna go to the park!" Kimi interjected.

"Rune-san, hohoemu!" Melody said. She then said something that no one else in the room could comprehend, for none of them understood her language. At least, that was the assumption…

"She said, 'Smile, Rune! Aren't you excited about spending the day with us? It'll be a lot of fun!'"

All eyes turned to Sebastian, who simply stared back in a discomfited manner. Andrew broke out into a knowing grin, followed by Covyll who must've understood what no one else knew.

"So 'Bastian," the latter started conversationally, "when did you learn Japanese?"

"A-a few days ago…" came the forcibly indifferent reply.

"Oh?" Andrew asked, that mischievous smirk still in place. "And how, pray tell, did you become fluent so quickly?"

No one missed the humiliated blush that adorned Sebastian's face as he looked away, mumbling something about fortune while Covyll and Andrew laughed heartily at his chagrin. Kimi and Rune shared a confused look, while Melody happily inspected Rune's dwelling, her eyes widening at some of the Azarathian titles on the dark girl's bookshelf. When Kimi asked what the joke was, Sebastian threw a volley of Starbolts at his friends before they could answer. The targets began shouting as they ran to hide behind Kimi; Rune started to get a headache and yelled at the foolish boys to get out of her room, threatening bodily harm if they refused to comply. As they left with their tails between their legs, Rune sighed and closed her door after them using her powers. Kimi and Melody clapped their approval.

"So, come on, Rune! Mel and I will pick out your clothes, you go wash up."

The blue-haired girl contemplated just going back to sleep and ignoring everyone else; however, she knew that her hyperactive friends would never allow her to miss out on the "fun" day they had planned. She almost smiled at the thought. Sighing and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Rune got out of bed and went to the rest room while Kimi and Melody raided her closet. When she returned five minutes later, the two girls were smiling brightly at her while holding an outfit up between them. Rune's eyes widened noticeably as she took in the pure white summer dress they had picked out, noting its nice contrast to the black and purple designs of flowers and leaves. She examined everything- from the Ruched V-neck, to the black satin ribbon around the waist, to the flowing ruffles along the hemline- before turning her incredulous gaze to the women facing her.

"No."

"Awe, come on, Rune!"

"Where did you even _get_ that dress? _No_." Melody seemed to be trying to persuade the darker girl to try it, at least.

"Yeah!" Kimi agreed, though she had no clue what Melody had said. "We got it from Mel's closet- she's got _tons_ of clothes! And we all decided earlier that this would be a casual summer outing. Besides, you can't wear pants in ninety degree weather. We're all going to be wearing summer dresses! You won't be alone. Please?"

Both Melody and Kimi used their honed powers of pleading on Rune to persuade her, yet she remained mysteriously unfazed. The two girls sighed simultaneously after realizing that her resolve was unwavering.

"Please, Rune!" Kimi cried, falling on her knees as she grasped both of Rune's hands. "Do it in honor of all the memories we've shared! To commemorate our loving friendship! _**PLEASE?!**_"

Rune had to give Kimi credit; she was a wonderful actor. After seeing the tears in the corner of her grassy green eyes, Rune sighed and closed her eyes in defeat, only to jump out of her skin when the two girls screamed and hugged her tightly. She smiled upon hearing the chorus of Thank You's and Arigato's as the gleeful duo pulled her over behind a yellow changing screen ("Where did _this_ come from?" she had asked). They handed her the dress and went to sit on the bed as they waited for her. Rune, meanwhile, was debating different ways to get out of the situation. She was putting the finishing touches on an elaborate escape plan when Smarty decided to intervene.

Oh, relax. It can't possibly be as terrible as you're imagining. The green-eyed personality stated. Besides, we're dying to see how your love interest will react to seeing you in the sun, showing so much skin!

**Happiness: **Definitely! Melody and Kimi sure have good taste, huh?

**Fear: **What if she gets sunburn?

**Hope: **I'm sure if she uses sunscreen she won't, right, Smarty?

More than likely. Now go show them the dress!

Sighing again in reluctance, Rune hesitantly stepped out from behind the yellow changing screen to face the two determined women. There were more squeals of delight as they ran over to her, Melody circling her like a hawk to get the full picture while Kimi complemented the butterfly's choice. The next minute went by in a blur as Kimi asked what shoe size Rune wore and gave her the time of their departure. Then in a flash the two were gone, though Rune could have sworn she heard Selina's name mentioned. Feeling sorry that Selina would share her fate, Rune changed back out of the dress and into more comfortable clothing before she headed out to breakfast.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It had only been a half an hour since Rune's rude awakening, and already Kimi and Melody had her in their torture chamber –a.k.a. Melody's room. There were five suitcases scattered about the room, along with random clothes and pictures on the floor and bed. The windows were wide open, letting in the light breeze from outside as the sounds of the ocean drifted into the room. Selina and Rune were seated on the bed, both in summer dresses, which neither one seemed to like. Selina's dress was similar to Rune's in style; however, hers had thinner straps and was a soft baby blue that contrasted nicely with her golden eyes. Additionally, her summer dress sported a navy ribbon that wrapped around her waist and tied off into a large bow in the back. Kimi and Melody had also gone shopping earlier to buy new shoes to match the beautiful dresses they had forced the others to wear. The two victims were then coerced into enduring a beauty treatment from the shop-happy girls. Melody was putting a white gold clip in Rune's hair while Kimi put the finishing touches on Selina's lips. The two dolls shared a look before sighing in resignation.

"Melody, you and I are beauty geniuses," Kimi said. "Très magnifique!"

Melody nodded in agreement. They were both dressed and ready to go, though their dresses were a different style from the white and blue ones. Kimi's outfit was shin-length, open-backed, and had tiny yellow beads sewn into flower designs on the skirt of the green fabric; it was a perfect match to her grassy eyes. Melody's was candy apple red, the same length as Kimi's, though her top was fashioned to resemble a corset with a special cut in the back to let her wings flutter freely; both girl's outfits tied around their necks to hold them up. All the girls wore the same style of loose-fitting sandals with colors corresponding to their dresses. When they were finally declared ready, the quartet headed downstairs to meet the guys for their big party/date/social gathering.

It didn't take an Empath to see that Rune and Selina were uncomfortable and embarrassed- it was clear on their pouting faces that they disliked their friends' choices, no matter how soft the fabric was. However, since they were both generally kind and didn't want to ruin the last day of fun they would share with their friends for a while, they put on brave faces and dealt with it. As the girls neared the main room, the wonderful sounds of Covyll being smacked could be heard from within. But when they walked into the room, everything went dead silent…

The boys were wearing roughly the same outfits; they all had on cargo shorts and t-shirts. James's ensemble was entirely black, from his dark-tinted sunglasses to his tennis shoes. Covyll had a more aquatic theme to his look, with a white shirt, navy shorts, and a silver chain around his neck to match his eyes. Andrew wore a lavender button-down shirt over a white tee along with tan shorts. Finally, there was Sebastian sporting gray cargo shorts and a rich sapphire shirt- the same color as Rune's hair.

Everything stayed completely silent as the boys watched the girls watching the boys watch them (wow, confusing much? Sorry!). Melody was the first to speak as she flew to James's side, possibly commenting on his sunglasses as she pulled them down to see his eyes. He tried so hard to pull off nonchalance, but couldn't help running a hand through his hair in embarrassment as he took in her beautiful appearance. Andrew began chortling in delight as –the others assumed- he listened to James's thoughts. He then flew over to his girlfriend and bowed, taking her hand in his own as he looked up into her eyes.

"It is an honor to be in your presence, milady," he greeted. "Your very beauty illuminates the room! And your smile –yes, that one!- so resplendent and amiable, it sends rays of warmth through my very being!"

Covyll rose an eyebrow at Andrew, who simply responded with a, "Yes, women do like to be treated like royalty. It's called romance; try it sometime." The Atlantian shrugged and walked over to his own love interest, smirking as he thought how useless Andrew's advice was for a heartthrob such as himself. He wrapped an arm around Selina's slim waist and smiled down at her, not his usual arrogant grin.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, eliciting a rosy blush from the shy girl. Andrew mumbled something in French to which Kimi giggled profusely. Covyll glared at the mischievous duo before he turned back to give Selina his full attention. Last but not least, Sebastian walked over to Rune, unable to make eye contact and trying desperately not to blush. Rune could feel the many conflicting emotions radiating off of him as well as she could see them in his eyes, but there was nothing she could do to help.

"…Hey…" came his pathetic greeting. Andrew and Covyll sighed in obvious disappointment. Sebastian looked at them questioningly, while Andrew answered his thoughts.

"It's not some big secret, you know!"

"Honestly, you moron!" Covyll agreed.

Sebastian merely shrugged. After Covyll insulted the Tameranian half-breed a few more times, the group headed down to the garage to leave. However, instead of the blue T-car the girls expected to see, there was a white limousine emblazoned with blue flames on each side. The girls slid in first, Kimi in the front with their chauffeur, Andrew. The back of the limo was decked out with black leather seats and a beige shag rug; Melody immediately started passing out drinks from the mini bar while Covyll and James debated on what music to play. Kimi and Andrew messed with the controls up front- Andrew rolled up the privacy window while Kimi turned on the string of Christmas lights that wrapped twice around the ceiling in the back. So, while it was really only about ten a.m., the younger Titans felt more as if they were in a nightclub in the city than driving over a sunny bay.

The music dimmed as Andrew's voice came over the intercom. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Day of Complete Awesomeness! Enjoy the ride, but please stay seated somewhere because this is a car- you never know when an accident may happen."

"Where'd you get the limo from?" Rune questioned the boys. Covyll shrugged and pointed to Sebastian.

"It's just a rental," the red-eyed boy responded, "but as usual, Cyborg and Andrew had to 'improve' it for us. I wonder what the company will think…"

While everyone enjoyed their experience in the limo, there were also a great deal of thoughts and emotions wreaking havoc on Andrew and Rune's senses. Andrew was laughing so hard sometimes from what he heard that Kimi ended up taking the wheel. Rune, though, was not amused by the things she felt second-hand. Honestly, it's awkward feeling James's and Covyll's emotions towards their unofficial girlfriends- _especially _Covyll! Mostly, Andrew was laughing when he heard Rune's thoughts of disgust after the Atlantian's perverted ones. But his laughter died down when Smarty began talking to her host…

I know you can feel how much he loves you- every time you walk into the room, his heart soars!

_'How poetic,' _Rune responded sarcastically, _'but you seem to be forgetting the underlying sorrow in his eyes. I hurt him, but there's nothing I can do about it. And that just…sucks. He was my first friend since Tiffany… He's helped me out so much… And I want to repay him for all he's done, but the one thing he wants is the one thing I can't give him..'_

Oh, don't be silly. You can give him your love any time you want to, you're just-

"Alrighty, everyone!" Kimi called over the speakers. "First stop- Clydesdale Park!"

The Titans in the back were a little surprised at how quickly they had arrived, but were pleased nonetheless. As the eight heroes exited the large car, they were nearly blinded by he unexpected light of the sun shining warmly down. Kimi and Melody wasted no time in ushering their friends onto the freshly-mowed grass and towards the center of the park. There were just enough civilians there so the park felt neither crowded nor abandoned, mostly parents with their children. Melody and Kimi cooed over a baby learning how to walk a few yards away while Covyll and Andrew challenged Sebastian and James to a game of Frisbee. However, the challengers forgot about James's power over the wind, which the redhead used to his team's full advantage. Selina and Rune decided to sit in the sunlight and observe their friends for a while, oblivious to the schemes their female teammates were cooking up for the day ahead…

Rune was exhausted from the night before. Sure, meditation rested her body a little, but sleep was what she really needed. She laid back on the warm grass and gazed up at the sky, making out shapes in the rare clouds that came into view. It really was a beautiful day, she admitted silently. But even so, she was still doomed to think about all that had happened recently. To a normal person, accepting a confession of love might not be so difficult; however, Rune Falle was far from normal. She just couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the concept- it was so foreign. Her tired eyes drifted closed as a warm breeze swept through her hair and lulled her into a state of calmness. Surely she could worry about these things later…

When the blue-haired girl awoke, she found herself under the protective shade of a tree a few feet from where she had been before. She sat up and saw her friends engaged in a deadly game of tag, her day brightening as she saw Covyll struggle to run away from James, the current "it". Unfortunately for the Atlantian, James was holding him in place with the wind as the latter calmly strode over to the defeated teen and tagged him. Only when the other players were a fair distance away did the wind release its captive. Rune noticed, as she observed her friends run from the silver-eyed boy bent on revenge, that not all of her friends were playing. She mentally slapped herself for being so inattentive as she realized that Sebastian was sitting next to her.

"Oh good, you're awake," he commented. "You've only been out for about half an hour."

"Did you move me?" she questioned.

"Yeah. Selina was worried you might get sunburned. I hope you don't mind."

Rune shook her head. Given the sun's position in the sky, it had to have been around eleven o'clock at latest. The silence between her and Sebastian was growing awkward, so she decided to go join the game, as did he. Lo and behold, the usually stoic empath was actually smiling and laughing with the others a few minutes into the game. It was a refreshing change, she thought, to be carefree and happy for once. They continued through the next hour, until everyone was thoroughly through with tag. Only then did Melody and Kimi drag Sebastian away, much to the suspicions of their friends.

The trio stood behind the tree from earlier as Andrew distracted the others; Sebastian was rather confused until Kimi explained that they needed him to be their translator, to which he obliged. The conversation seemed simple enough to the boy- they were talking about what to do next, where to eat, etc., and had even asked his opinion on a few things. Only when Kimi said something about "That thing I showed you online yesterday, Mel" and the blonde responded with "Oh yes, we should definitely do that!" did Sebastian grow wary. When he asked what they were talking about, he was met with giggles and then abandoned.

Without further delay, the Mischievous Trio (a.k.a. Andrew, Kimi, and Melody) dragged everyone back into the limo to go get some food. Unbeknownst to the others, however, Andrew and Kimi were plotting something in the front.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"-I still can't believe you ordered _pineapples_ on your _pizza!_"

"I wanted to try something new. They're actually not a bad topping. Wanna try some?" Rune offered. Covyll made a disgusted face and declined. "Suit yourself."

The teens had been at the pizza shop in the Jump City Mall for a half an hour, refueling after their park adventure. They had squeezed two tables together so they could fit all eight teens comfortably, and had ordered so much food they wouldn't be hungry for a few weeks to come. The shop owners were also surprisingly nice, though that might have had something to do with the appetites of the four teenage boys they were accommodating.

"Oh, so Sebastian," Kimi started, "I've been meaning to ask. How _did_ you learn Japanese so quickly?"

Sebastian choked on his drink at the unexpected question while Andrew and Covyll burst out laughing. When Sebastian was able to breathe again, he realized that Kimi's question had caught the attention of all those who didn't already know the answer.

"It's…sort of a power I i-inherited from my mother…" No one missed the embarrassed stutter. Mainly, the poor kid was worried about what Rune would think if she knew exactly how it worked.

"Oh, don't be so vague!" Covyll said. "If you don't tell them, I will."

Sebastian said nothing for a moment… "Okay. It's a transferring power that allows me to learn a person's native language instantaneously through…a kiss…"

Selina and Kimi giggled, while Rune and James shared a curious look. Covyll and Andrew continued to tease the teen for a few more minutes until Sebastian threw pizza at them. Thus the food-war began… Only when they were all finally stuffed –and after they cleaned up their mess and formally apologized to the staff- did Kimi announce what they were to do next.

"Friends! We are each going to separate into two groups –girls and boys- and shop! We have a half hour to get what we need and meet back up at the limo. Anyone who's late has to pay for dessert. Alrighty? Let's go!"

Before anyone could ask what they were supposed to buy, Kimi and Melody had already dragged the girls away, while Andrew ushered the boys in a different direction. Selina was rather wary about this. She'd had a suspicious feeling in her gut ever since she'd seen her energetic female companions writing in a notebook and giggling to each other earlier that day; unfortunately for the kitten, she had every reason to be afraid of what was to come as she beheld the window displays of the store they were about to enter.

"W-wait!" She begged as she was mercilessly forced to enter SunSplash Swimwear. She shot a despairing look to Rune, who seemed just as shocked by this sudden change. "Why are we looking for-?"

"Oh, come on, Selina!" Kimi urged. "It'll be so much fun!"

"Maybe for you!" the shy girl squeaked as Kimi began sorting through a rack of bikinis, causing the former's eyes to widen.

"Hai! Daijobu dakara shinpai shinaide, Selina-chan!" Melody said cheerily, hugging the younger girl. The others could only guess she was trying to reassure the brunette that it would be okay. Before Selina could respond, Kimi had dragged her to the dressing rooms while Melody decided to look for suitable outfits for Rune and herself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"The hell do you mean? Why the beach?" Covyll questioned as they sorted through the men's swimwear section of Macy's.

"Because the beach is fun. Plus, James says Selina and him have never been to one, and neither has Rune."

"Oh. But what's with all of these spur of the moment decisions you and your girl keep making? It's annoying to not know what the hell's going on."

"They only seem spur of the moment," Andrew explained. "Melody, Kimi, Sebastian, and myself have been working on these plans for a week now. We just haven't told the rest of you because Selina and Rune would be too embarrassed to agree peacefully. And you would have said something perverted about Selina in a bathing suit and ticked James off. So, in order to avoid bloodshed and kidnapping charges, we just didn't tell you."

"Oh," came the reply as Covyll smirked, running a hand through his black hair. _'Though I've gotta admit, the idea of my sweet Selina in a tight bathing suit, swimming around the ocean, all soaking we-'_

"COVYLL!" Andrew cried, hands on his head as he tried to drown out his friend's sinful thoughts. "What did I _just_ say?"

Said teen laughed sheepishly, on the defensive now that James was glaring daggers at him.

"Eh he he… Sorry about that…"

**Okay, so here's part one of their awesome fun day. Again, I'm really sorry that I've been slacking on this lately. I'll try harder, I promise. Hopefully, these 13 pages will be enough to keep you happy for a little while. Again, happy holidays to everyone! And Valentine's Day is coming up in a few days, so I hope everyone has a good one! Thank you for reading and (hopefully) not abandoning me due to my tendency to procrastinate…**

**Thank you so very much!**

**---Later!**


	43. Don't Think It's Over Part 2

**Hello there! So here I am again, hopefully not too late with this chapter. Thank you for sticking with me this far! I have no idea when in the world I'm going to finish this. There are so many things I'd love to add, but I don't know if I'll have the space in the original plot or the patience to do so. We'll see. So, I happily present the latest chapter of TSOAG for your enjoyment. **

**And as for the Japanese, in order of appearance, it means: "I am with you", "Thank you very much", and "You're welcome". (I hope…lol, just kidding).**

**--Jaime**

**Disclaimer: I wonder if I really need to put one of these in every chapter. No, I don't own the show Teen Titans. I never have, and I probably never will.**

**Ch. 43: Don't Think It's Over (The Fun's Just Begun) Part 2**

"You cheated!"

"We did not!"

"There's no way you got done before we did!"

"And why's that?"

"You're girls! You take forever to decide on what kind of drink to order in a restaurant, let alone what bathing suit you want to wear! There's no way!"

"Just let it go, Covyll," Sebastian insisted as they stuffed their plastic shopping bags in the trunk of the limo. Said Atlantian huffed and hopped into the back of the vehicle, still unable to believe that they had finished so quickly. Now they had to pay for dessert…and he was broke… But there was no way he'd let his beloved Selina know that! He'd just bum some cash off Sebastian when no one was around. So, as the boys accepted their defeat, Andrew took the wheel and drove them back to the Tower.

"Alrighty, here's the deal," Andrew stated. "We have ten minutes to get in, get changed, and get out. The adults are planning to have a party of their own soon, and we don't want to be here when they try do dance. Trust me."

Selina giggled as they agreed to Andrew's instructions. When they arrived at the Tower, the eight teens hurried to their respective rooms with shopping bags to get ready to go to the beach. Rune sighed as she locked her door and dumped her bag's contents on the bed. Kimi, Melody, and even Selina had insisted that she wear a two-piece suit, each pleading with her to live a little (well, Selina just said Rune would look nice in the one they picked out). Therefore, after much begging, bribing, and threats of blackmail, Rune finally agreed to wear the two-piece suit they had picked out for her. It was blue, just a little lighter than her unusual hair, which she didn't mind- at least it wasn't pink like the one they manipulated Selina into wearing. It was a plain halter top with two bottoms; one was a bikini, and the other was a pair of shorts that went over it that could be worn in the water, which was Rune's plan. Much to her dislike, they didn't go very far down her thighs. Sighing in resignation, she tossed on a green t-shirt and loose jeans to cover up.

As she headed out the door, she noticed a folded black piece of paper on her nightstand emblazoned with a crimson X. She picked it up and opened it, revealing blankness on the inside. She dug under her mattress until she found a small pen; there was a black light on the end of it, which she shone on the blank paper. It revealed a combination of glowing white letters and numbers arranged in no specific order, but it seemed to make sense to the girl as she nodded and put the paper in her pocket.

_'I can save that for later,'_ she decided, stowing her pen back under her mattress before heading out of her room.

She made it back down to the limo with three minutes to spare, along with Melody and Covyll. The former was already dressed in her onyx one-piece, a black skirt overtop for now and a gray bag at her side. Apparently, Melody was fond of darker colors. Covyll was also dressed in his swimsuit, a blue one with shark fin designs; he had on his white shirt from earlier and held a plastic shopping bag on his arm, probably holding his sunscreen and the like. The trio wordlessly got into the limo to wait for their friends, Covyll immediately heading for the stereo system. In a few minutes' time, the whole gang was packed and ready to go.

"Alrighty! The parents wish us a good time, and told us not to come back for at least five hours," Kimi informed them.

"So," Andrew began, "we have no choice. We must party on the beach until sundown!"

There were several delighted cheers from the gaggle of teens. Without further delay, Kimi revved the engine and they were off; Melody was up front, as Andrew had opted to sit in the back this time. As the limo sped over the bay (remember, Cyborg and Andrew had their fun with it beforehand), Covyll and Sebastian fought over the stereo controls, arguing about which would be the better song to play. Andrew enjoyed intruding upon the thoughts of his friends, keeping his mind open for Rune's inner voices, as hers was the most interesting mind he'd come across in a while. He was curious about the conversations in her mind; it was all the same voice, but each sounded as though it wasn't really Rune talking, if that makes any sense. He didn't know how to describe it. Regardless, he was interested, and thus his genius mind went to work on possible scenarios and reasons for this strange occurrence.

After Sebastian won the battle for the control of the stereo, Covyll pouted lazily next to James. Yeah, after that incident in the store earlier, James was unwilling to let the Atlantian near his precious sister; he sat between the two, much to Selina and Andrew's amusement. Covyll sighed dejectedly as he realized his utter defeat. Meanwhile, Selina struck up conversation with Rune about their plans for the 'Mega-Leet Funday of Endless Parties and Such', as Covyll had referred to it. Andrew simply enjoyed the ride (and invading the unsuspecting minds of his friends). Happily, it didn't take but ten minutes to get to the beach. Although Andrew did have to politely insist that Kimi not park _directly_ on the beach itself. So, perhaps fifteen minutes since their departure, they finally found a nice spot on the soft sand to lay down their blanket and begin the fun.

Covyll and Andrew wasted no time in peeling off their shirts and running to the ocean, splashing obnoxiously as they dove into the salty water. Kimi and Melody were also eager to go play in the water, but they went about it a bit more slowly. They laid their dry set of clothes down to the side on the large blanket and made their way to the giant body of water leisurely. Kimi was wearing a two-piece very similar to Rune's, but hers was yellow and she wore it without the optional shorts. Melody wore a black one-piece that hugged her lithe frame nicely. It had white butterfly designs placed randomly about it. Selina and Rune were a little less eager about revealing the swimsuits their friends helped them pick out, and apparently James was just self-conscious—he had yet to remove his gray T-shirt. Sebastian's swim trunks were a deep crimson, the same color as his eyes and the dyed tips of his hair. He took it upon himself to gather his friends' discarded shirts and shoes before he headed out to the water. Thus, the remaining Titans were left to their bubble of awkwardness.

"Come on, guys!" Kimi called from the ocean. "The water's great!"

None of them budged.

"…?" the green-eyed girl sighed and ran over to the blanket her friends were seated on, placing her hands on her hips when she finally stood before them. "Guys, what's the fun of being on a beach if you all keep your clothes on and just sit there?"

"If you don't get out there and swim, I'll get Covyll to throw the ocean on you."

"Kimi…I don't know _how_ to swim," Selina said, wringing the end of her shirt through her hands nervously. James placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry! You can stand on the sand pretty far out, and I'm sure you're not going to drown with a bunch of superheroes and an Atlantian out there with you!" In a flash, said Atlantian was standing beside the cat-like girl with his characteristic smirk in place.

"Yeah, Selina. There's no way I'd let anything happen to you out there. C'mon," Covyll urged, tugging a little on her arm. Selina sighed in defeat before removing her outerwear to reveal her pink one-piece swimsuit; Kimi had picked it out especially for her because of the gold cat and swirl designs it had. Covyll winked mischievously at James before dragging his love interest to the sea. Now Kimi had to find a way to coax her other two friends out of their turtle shells…

"What's the trouble, dearest Kimi?" Andrew asked, flying over to float beside the plotting woman.

"Andrew, Il est terrible! Terrible!" The dramatic actor cried in despair. "Rune and James refuse to enjoy the beautiful ocean to its fullest, even after Melody and I worked so hard to prepare this day for them!" At this, she instantly fell to her knees and held her face in her hands as Andrew looked accusingly at the two flabbergasted teens on the blanket.

"Rune! James! How could you do this to the poor Princess?" he asked, kneeling down to comfort his girlfriend.

"D-don't you l-love me?" Kimi asked piteously, turning her sorrowful eyes on the stupefied pair before her as tears came raining down from their depths.

_'How the heck did Kimi become such a convincing actress?' _A bewildered Rune thought, as she remained speechless.

_'…This girl is very good at manipulation…'_ James noted silently. Andrew smirked at the two of them. Resolve finally failing, the two similar teens removed their outerwear as Selina had done previously and sullenly went to join their friends in the water. Behind them, the mischievous duo shared a "V" for "victory!" hand sign.

"Hey! Look who finally decided to join the party, 'Bastian."

Sebastian turned around just as Rune was getting into the water, getting a decent look at her blue swimsuit before the ocean swallowed her entirely. As she neared, he turned back away, a light blush adorning his face; Covyll laughed at him. Selina greeted Rune and James as they neared, clinging onto Covyll's arm for support because she was rather wary of drowning. Not that _he_ minded…hehehe. Before long, all eight teens were splashing about in the water, enjoying the sunny day to the fullest. Covyll even started teaching Selina how to swim. He offered to teach James, but the redhead was too prideful to accept any assistance; he opted to stay where he could stand. After a while, they started to get bored…

"Hey, I have an idea!" the silver-eyed teen started. The others were so desperate for something entertaining to do, they all paid attention to their odd teammate. "Let's play a game!"

"Covyll, if you suggest 'Truth or Dare', I'm going to drown you," Sebastian said threateningly. Aforementioned teen smirked.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of 'Make-Out Tag', hehehe."

"Do we even _want_ to know?" Rune questioned skeptically.

"It's just like regular tag, only 'It' has to tag someone under water. Oh, and if you tag someone, you have to kiss them."

Several large splashes were sent Covyll's way. Selina giggled as Covyll moved to protect her from the blasts, considering she would've been hit, too. When the attack was over, he brushed his wet black bangs from his eyes and glared at the others.

"Well, I'd like to see some of _you_ come up with an idea for once. Hmph."

The other seven teens looked around the area, jumping the occasional waves that threatened to knock them over. A few seconds later, Andrew punched the air in excitement and looked at Selina appreciatively.

"You're a genius! A race is an excellent idea!" he exclaimed. A few faces brightened up at the idea. "And I believe…yes! There's a large enough pile of boulders embedded in the sand bar a few yards away. We can race there!"

"Great!" Covyll and Kimi said in unison. "I say teams of two, boyXgirl, first team to reach the rock is royalty of the beach!" Covyll finished alone. There were many happy cheers and splashes from the more animate teens of the group. Rune, James, and Selina shared a look of bewilderment as the others started forming teams.

"James-san! Watakushi wa anata to wa ru!" Melody cried out as she snuck up on James from behind to hug him.

The expression on the redhead's face, what with his crimson blush and wide aqua eyes, was enough to send Covyll into an uncontrollable bought of laughter. Thoroughly embarrassed, James shot his fist upward and sent Covyll sailing 20 feet in the air. At first, the Atlantian was too shocked to react; but as soon as he saw the ocean rapidly approaching, he went from loosely freefalling into a graceful dive, plunging down into the salty depths of the sea. A moment or so passed without anyone speaking as they waited. For Selina especially, the seconds passed like hours until finally…

"Woohoo!" Covyll cried, his head breaking the surface of the water right next to James as he startled everyone with his sudden reappearance. He had swum 30 yards in just 15 seconds, but only Andrew and Sebastian were unsurprised. He was, after all, an Atlantian. Covyll wrapped an arm around James' shoulder, his huge grin never wavering. "What a rush! Honestly, I should humiliate you more often! Hehehe."

"Covyll…" Selina began, "how did you get over here so quickly? You were so far away; it was incredible!"

The black-haired teen smirked in arrogance at the praise. "I'm just that good, heh."

"Oh, please," Sebastian cut in. "Selina, his parents live in Atlantis. It's just part of who he is."

"Atlantis?" Kimi asked. Covyll nodded, surreptitiously snaking an arm around Selina's waist, to which she responded with a flushed face. "So how come you don't visit your parents like Andrew does?"

A few curious heads turned in the boy's direction to await an answer. "Well, I _would_," he started, "but I can't breathe underwater like they can. See, I was born a few weeks prematurely, and the special part of my lungs that would allow me to take the oxygen out of water hadn't fully developed yet. It was kind of bad; as soon as I was born, I started drowning… But my dad got me to the surface in time, and took me and my mom to live with the Titans East for a while."

"How'd you end up here then?" Rune questioned.

"When I was seven, my mom got really sick. She had to be treated in an Atlantian hospital, but the Titan's East were away on a mission. Andrew was there with me. He called Cyborg and my dad, who both came and drove us all to this bay. Then Cy took me and Andrew to the Tower while my parents went to the hospital. After that, I just kind of never left."

"What about your mother?" Selina asked hesitantly.

"Hm? Oh, she was fine after a week or so. I think it was the environment that made her sick; she missed Atlantis, and not everyone can handle breathing in more polluted air than the oxygen in water. She wanted to come back to take care of me again, but the doctors thought it best that she limit her air consumption to the weekends."

Once the audience understood, a calm silence spread through the group. Then, Melody turned to Sebastian and said something confusing in Japanese, to which he adorned a look of realization and turned to face the others. Then Andrew, who had no doubt been listening in, gasped in realization.

"We almost forgot! Arigato gozaimasu, Melody-san," Sebastian said.

"Dou itashimashite!" she responded happily.

"Yeah," Andrew agreed. "We forgot all about the race!" There was a chorus of 'Oh yeah's throughout the group. "Alright then, troops! Split into teams of two, one boy and one girl. I call Kimi!" He shouted, grabbing onto his lighthearted friend.

"I call Selina!" Covyll said.

"James-san!" said Melody.

Rune and Sebastian looked at each other. "So… Would you do me the honor of being my race partner, Rune?"

She smiled. "It'd be my pleasure."

So without further ado, Kimi and Andrew established the rules of the race. Each boy had to swim as quickly as they could to the pile of rocks while carrying their team mate, and they could use any of their abilities to cheat. Though considering the course was in the shallow water, the boys could basically run to the finish line. Rune, Selina, and James were the only ones who seemed uncomfortable with this game, but they didn't want to spoil the fun… So the girls hopped onto the boys' backs and the race began. It started out with Covyll and Selina in the lead, followed by James (who used his powers to push resistance against the leading pair) and Melody; Selina giggled as the duo passed them, while Covyll stopped to whisper something in her ear. This allowed Sebastian and Andrew to pass them, both tied for second place. After a minute or so, Andrew and Kimi were in the lead (Andrew was more or less flying in the water than actually swimming); James and Melody second; Sebastian and Rune third. As they reached the pile of rocks, they were greeted by the most surprising sight: Covyll and Selina were sitting together on top of the tallest boulder.

"What? No way! How did you-?"

"I'm just that good." Selina giggled.

"Well," Andrew began, "no one knows _how_, but it appears that Selina and Covyll are the reigning swim champs! Congrats to the King and Queen of the rock!" There was applause as the royal couple took their bows. "Now I vote we do something on the actual beach, because quite frankly, my skin is starting to resemble a raisin…"

An hour later, the eight teens were covered in salt water and sand as they built their titanic sand castles. Each one was spread out about a yard apart, and ranged anywhere from 10 to 20 feet tall. Yeah, it wasn't hard to see how competitive the kids were. They didn't have any shovels or buckets to help them, yet the castles looked pretty cool to passersby. Some tourists even began snapping pictures of their friends and families next to the works of art. This kept them busy until about 3:10 when Covyll and Kimi started complaining about hunger. So after a small argument about food, Covyll and Kimi were forced by the others to go get sandwiches and drinks for their enjoyment. After they left, the remaining Titans lounged around on the large blanket in the sand to await their return.

"So…what do we do now?" Sebastian asked.

"I guess we can just wait here…doing nothing…in complete boredom…" Rune suggested halfheartedly. The others sighed.

"Surely we can think of some form of entertainment?" Andrew pleaded.

"Hm… I have a question," Selina asked. "Why is it that we haven't had to protect the city in a while? It seems like all the villains are on vacation, or something. Is that normal?"

"…Come to think of it, that _is_ rather strange," Andrew thought aloud.

"You don't think they're plotting something, do you?" Sebastian questioned, his voice more authoritative and serious than before.

"I don't think so," the mind-reader said. "I think we haven't seen much of the lower criminals because they know they don't stand a chance against 12 Titans. And with Raven and the Titans East being over at our tower so frequently as of late, the threat of 18 Titans is even greater. They're probably biding their time until the Titans East leave again with their new recruits. It won't be long."

"And what about the smarter villains like the Hive, that Dominique character, and Red X?" Sebastian questioned. "You have heard that not only is Dominique an assassin for hire, but he's also an adept thief? And the Hive never stays dormant for long. As for Red X…" All eyes turned to Rune in anticipation, hoping she might have some information on said thief.

"My dad doesn't tell me when and what he steals," Rune lied exceptionally. "That would kind of defeat the point of stealth."

The others seemed to accept this answer. At least, everyone but Andrew… He continued staring at Rune in contemplation, his eyes flashing white for the briefest instant as he probed her mind for the answers he sought. He knew she was lying; he'd heard one of those mysterious voices scolding Rune when she did. The question was: why? It was kind of obvious. After all, if Mr. Falle did tell his daughter about his job, she would be obligated to tell the Titans what he was up to. And if she didn't, she could get in serious trouble. Surely Red X knew this? Why would he tell Rune anything of his plans? And as for the Titans, had Nightwing already thought of this possibility and questioned Rune? She was a good liar, adept enough to fool even the roughest interrogators. While Andrew was lost in thought, he didn't realize that the conversation had continued. Neither, it seemed, did Rune; she was looking at Andrew with wide, pleading eyes.

'_Please don't tell them! I'm not allowed to let anyone know!'_

Andrew looked at her skeptically, but nodded his head slightly to let her know he would oblige. Yet the blue-haired teen knew from his expression that this was far from the end of it. Little did either of them know, James watched the exchange silently, putting two and two together in his observation.

"In any case," Sebastian continued, "we'll just have to handle them as they come. I'm sure it won't be a problem. There's no way they're all working together; that isn't Red X's style. As for Dominique, I just can't see him working on a team. He's too independent."

"What about that girl…" James started, his tone bored. "Liz, I believe? And her uncle."

Andrew and Sebastian couldn't help but to snicker at the thought. "She may be a problem if a worse bad guy chooses to use her," Andrew said, "but her uncle Control Freak…hehe…we don't have to worry about him. He's just a poor guy who can't separate reality form television. I'm sure any one of us could take him down single-handed."

As the sextet continued talking about random villains and battles they had been in, a half an hour passed them by. When 3:40 rolled around, Covyll and Kimi finally returned carrying a red cooler between them. The others realized in an instant how hungry they were and tore into the cooler to sate their stomachs. The day continued on like this with everyone talking, laughing, and playing merrily; it truly was a good day to be out and about. At some point, they all ended up back in the water, splashing and swimming to their hearts' contents. Only when Covyll created a large whirlpool for them to enjoy did Andrew and Rune manage to slip away unnoticed. They swam a good twenty yards away before Andrew began his interrogation.

"So, why exactly did you lie about knowing what Red X plans to steal before he does?"

"Because my father told me that it was top secret; even my mother doesn't know, but I think that's because she chooses not to."

"And you know because…?"

'_Nightwing and my father are working together,'_ Rune thought, knowing Andrew could hear. His eyes widened in surprise at the revelation. _'Red X is no longer just a thief. He's been working with the Titans for the past month, ever since my mother was almost killed. They organize their efforts through me, but I'm not exactly aware of the details. All I know is that my dad sends me messages which only I know how to decipher, telling me where and when he'll strike, and then I relay those messages to Nightwing in a special code he taught me for this purpose. I don't come into direct contact with either of them, lest any suspicious criminals catch on to their plans. All I've been told is that they're working together to catch bad guys, and that I need to keep it a secret.'_

Andrew digested this new information in silence, accepting it as truth. Rune was relieved, and she let out a deep sigh to show it. She looked over to see Andrew smiling once again, happy that she had trusted him with the truth. Rune even smiled back.

"Please, promise you won't tell anyone, Andrew."

Said teen bowed as grandly as he could in the water. "Your secret is safe with me, milady," he responded pleasantly, grinning at the girl before him.

"And what secret might _that_ be, hmm?" Andrew and Rune jumped at the sudden arrival of the Atlantian, neither one expecting him to appear out of thin air right next to them. Covyll smirked in delight. "Keeping something from me? That's not very nice. But I bet I can guess what it is."

The two others shared a look of disbelief before staring back at Covyll. He grinned mischievously before putting an arm around Rune's shoulder and whispering so only she could hear.

"You're madly in love with me."

Both Rune and Andrew smacked the dark-haired boy, effectively getting him to release his captive.

Covyll laughed. "I was just kidding! Besides, even if you did love me, I'd just have to turn you down. Unfortunately for the female population, my heart is taken." Rune rolled her eyes. "Regardless, I think I _can_ guess what the secret is. I mean, it's pretty obvious what with that blush on your face."

Rune blinked. _'I'm blushing?'_ Andrew nodded in confirmation. _'I don't blush! And why would I blush at such an inappropriate time?'_

**Happiness:** Heh, I'm sure you'll figure it out in just a second.

'_How's that?'_

"You were telling Andrew about your love for Sebastian, and asking him for tips, right?"

After Rune nearly drowned from the shock of Covyll's statement, she glared up at the latter with the faintest hue of pink staining her face.

"How did you manage to reach such an idiotic conclusion?" she asked, splashing him with seawater to emphasize just how wrong he was.

"Well, I really don't know. But given the way 'Bastian has been looking at you all day, I was really hoping it was true. Honestly, it's obvious how much he loves you; what's stopping you from returning it?"

Rune was struck speechless; Covyll said something that actually made some sort of sense? It was surprising. Regardless, he wanted an answer. And given the way Andrew was staring at her, he also wanted to know. She stopped to think about it for a moment. What exactly _was_ her reason for not liking Sebastian the same way he did her? She liked him, sure; he was really nice, strong, smart—the type of guy most girls would adore. Maybe she'd just been too caught up in her life to even consider looking for a relationship. Or maybe she just wasn't as attracted to him as he was to her.

'_Well, no. That's not exactly true…'_ She glanced over at Sebastian, who was happily playing Marco Polo with the others. She didn't notice how the red on her face darkened a little, but the two boys watching her sure did. _'He's certainly attractive,'_ she stated logically, her tone the same as if she'd just said 'the sky is blue'. _'And his personality is just as attractive. He's fun, but can be serious. He's kind, but not overly so. He's sincere and loyal. He's a great person. So…what's stopping me? Perhaps since I've only ever loved my parents, I don't exactly know what real love _feels_ like. Huh. But still, you'd think if it were true, I'd just know it.'_

"In response to your question, Covyll, I suppose I just don't know," Rune replied. Andrew was snickering lightheartedly as he sent a wink to his confused friend. Catching his drift, Covyll used his powers to push the stunned blue-eyed girl over to her admirer. The two boys shared a high five when Sebastian caught Rune in his arms to stop them both from going under thanks to the force of the current that had brought her to him. Rune glared over at the duo, but they simply whistled and swam away from her eyesight in victory.

"Sorry about that," she said to Sebastian once he let her go.

"No problem," he countered. "What were you three up to?"

"Nothing really. Your friends were simply budding into my affairs."

"Oh. Well, I apologize on their behalf. I know what it's like to have those two gang up on you in an interrogation." He gave her a smile that she couldn't help but return. "So, you wanna play with us?" Rune looked to see that the others were letting Andrew and James bring them high up into the air and then freefall down to the ocean again; of course, they didn't go as high as Covyll had flown, but it was still as fun. However, Rune opted not to be tossed around like a ragdoll.

"Um… Actually, I think I'm going to relax on the beach for a while. I'm getting a little dehydrated."

"Do you mind if I escort you, then? I could use a drink myself."

Rune nodded her consent, and they were off to shore. Andrew and Covyll shared a grin as they noticed their friends disappearing towards the sand. Oh yes, they definitely had some wonderful ideas in store for the two lovebirds on land. Sebastian and Rune wouldn't know what hit them.

The rest of the day wore on pretty much the same. The eight teens hung out on the beach until sundown, as promised, when Kimi started a bonfire and they all roasted marshmallows to make smores. Ultimately, they went back to the Tower and watched a myriad of horror films with the adult Titans and Red X, who had shown up unexpectedly during a particularly suspenseful scene. He quickly had to teleport away due to the multitude of attacks thrown his way from the scare, but returned shortly afterwards with minimal damage. The party lasted until nearly three in the morning when most of the Tower's inhabitants sleepily made their way towards their rooms. All in all, it was a great day for those who would soon leave and those who would be left behind.

**Okay! It's almost three in the morning here, but I think I've ended this chapter on a happy note. I hope it wasn't too rushed of an ending. I planned on having the eight teens go to a club to dance before heading home, but then I realized how long this chapter was getting; I opted against writing a third part to their fun day. I hope this ending was sufficient. And no, just incase I'm being vague, I don't mean it's the end of the story. No, not at all. I don't know when I'll wrap this all up. In a way, it's getting boring, and yet it isn't. Huh. But yeah, ignore my tired rantings; like you care. Thank you for reading TSOAG! I'm grateful to those of you who've stuck with me this far, and I hope I haven't disappointed anyone! **

**--Later!**


	44. Test

Hello there, everyone

**Hello there, everyone! Thank you very much for the nice reviews you left on the last chapter. I would've made it longer, and included Sebastian and Rune's conversation when they went to get drinks. I also planned a few other things for the new Titans to do on their fun day… But I decided to just end it where I did. Who knows? Maybe I'll put that stuff in other chapters. But for now, please enjoy the next part of TSOAG!**

**--Later!**

**BY THE WAY!! I made a poll for this story, which can be found on my profile. I'd like you all to stop by there, if you don't mind!**

**Disclaimer: You should know by now who I do and do not own.**

**Ch. 44: Test**

"We'll miss you guys!"

"Farewell!"

"See you soon!"

"Alright, just leave already!" **Smack! **"Ow! Well, jeeze!"

"Have a safe trip!"

Cyborg was driving the T-car filled with male Titans, while Bumble Bee drove her yellow version of the vehicle; she rode with the girls. Andrew was going with his parents too, as he would be staying with his mom for the next week. Therefore, as soon as the two cars pulled out of the garage and headed for the mainland, only five Titans remained behind in the Tower. Sebastian and Covyll were playing video games in the main room; Changeling was in the training room two floors down; Nightwing had disappeared right after the others left. With nothing better to do, Rune decided to explore the Tower and familiarize herself with more of the rooms.

As Rune walked down the barren hallways of her second home, she started thinking about her life –something she often tried to avoid. What exactly was she doing? Where was she planning to go in life? Did she want to stay and be a hero with the Titans? Would she regret it if she declined? It was a lot for her to concentrate on. Not to mention the fact that her pesky emotions constantly reminded her of the Sebastian Situation, among other things. These days, it was getting harder and harder to shut those voices up, even with meditation. Rune sighed as she turned left at a fork in the hall, glancing out at the cloudy skies through a tinted window.

Come on, Rune! Smarty began. Ignoring your problems is not the best way to fix them. Do you honestly think it'll all just go away if you pretend it never happened?

She was, of course, referring to Sebastian's confession and her 'crying' heart, as it had been put that night. How odd, she thought; it felt like ages ago that she visited her mind, greeted by storm clouds and annoying memories. In reality, it could only have been about a fortnight. Sighing, Rune approached a stairwell with every intention of ignoring her intelligent side. Now she had a new dilemma: up or down?

Rune, you're acting like a child.

Down it was. The blue-haired teen rolled her eyes as Smarty continued lecturing her about who-knows-what. She was almost tempted to pay the green girl a visit with a roll of duct tape… Unfortunately, Rune was too rational to even try. As she exited the stairwell, the first thing she noticed was that it was colder down in this part of the Tower. She went forward, looking in the dimness for a light switch along the walls. Finding none, she shrugged it off and ventured forth into the ever-darkening hallway; surprisingly, Smarty fell silent shortly afterwards. Not that Rune was complaining.

_'It's about time,' _she thought in annoyance.

The passage was certainly odd. For instance, she hadn't seen a single door, and the windows were few and far between. Plus, the hallway never split—it only turned and twisted, but she was still on the same path. Regardless, Rune's curiosity had gotten the best of her. She continued forward unwaveringly, despite the darkness closing in on her. After five minutes, she could no longer see even her hand in front of her face. She felt along the wall for a door or a turn, but found none until she reached a dead end.

"What? No way."

Upon further inspection, Rune located a small square jutting out from the wall with even smaller squares protruding from its surface; it was an electronic combination lock. Sebastian had told her when she first came to the Tower that all private rooms had them, such as bedrooms, bathrooms, and interrogation rooms, each with a different password. She also found out that there was one combination that would work on any door, to be used in emergencies only incase of a power outage or enemy attack. Now if only she could remember the sequence…

Wait, you're going _in there?_

"Why not? I didn't come all the way down here just to turn around at the first sign of resistance," she stated, gently running her fingers along the buttons to feel for the center key.

But it's a private room. Don't you think whoever installed this lock on it had a good reason for it?

"Yes, they more than likely did," Rune agreed. "I think it started with 2-7-1…"

If I remind you of the combination, will you promise to talk to us about these problems you're trying to avoid?

Rune thought for a moment. Was it really worth it? She contemplated just walking away from the room, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Deal," she agreed. Suddenly, she remembered the code, the numbers flashing at the forefront of her mind. "Oh, yeah! Thanks, Smarty."

2-7-1-8-5-2-3-9-0-0

The buttons glowed as she quickly pressed them, each emitting a high-pitched beep in the process. Rune hit 'enter' on the electronic lock, and almost instantly the door slid open to reveal more darkness. As soon as she walked in, however, the lights overhead came on; dimly at first, slowly gaining brightness so as to let her eyes adjust. It was a fairly large room, perhaps half the size of the Tower's main room a few floors above. There was a long rectangular table in the center, surrounded with about 20 chairs. Above it were three hanging lamps, spread out to distribute light evenly across its surface. To the left was a row of filing cabinets lined along the wall; there was also a door labeled 'Restroom'. To the right were five computer stations side-by-side against the wall with a giant monitor above them, perhaps for presentations. It was a meeting room.

"Huh. This place looks pretty cool."

Upon further investigation, she found that all the filing cabinets were locked and needed special laser-keys to be opened. If one stuck a hairpin inside to pick the lock, it would be melted instantly. She also saw that the attached restroom was just slightly smaller than the main section. However, this part was also split in two; one half was a bathroom complete with a shower, the other held five beds. Rune surmised that this meeting room was designed for those late-night investigations on important missions when everyone really needed to work together to resolve the issue.

She went back into the larger area and over to the computers. Turning one on led to the giant monitor above being powered up, as well. She sat before the machine and began investigating as much as she could; as it turned out, this specific one was used to monitor security. Rune dug around for a while, really just messing with random controls, until a large picture came up on the screen above. Rune looked up and smirked—it was footage from the Tower's security cameras. The screen was split into four parts: the main room, the roof, the front door, and the garage. After a few tries, the blue-haired girl finally found the command to expand the main room surveillance stream's screen so that it dominated the entire monitor. She could clearly see Sebastian and Covyll talking to each other at the kitchen counter, while Changeling slept leisurely on the couch in dog form. As usual, Nightwing was nowhere to be found.

_'This could come in handy if I can figure out all the controls.'_

Yeah, yeah. You can become a great spy like your father. Now, can we get back to more important things? 

_'Like…?'_ A picture of Sebastian flashed in her mind's eye. Sighing, Rune spun absentmindedly in the computer chair, waiting for Smarty to initiate what was sure to be a very long and annoying conversation. Really, she didn't see the importance in talking about things that only served to confuse her. It was all too troublesome, but Smarty wasn't about to give in to Rune's complaints.

What are you going to do about him?

"There's nothing to do. He loves me; I don't love him. He'll move on."

Are you so sure about that?

_'Of course. Why wouldn't he move on? He's not the desperate type.'_

That's not what I was talking about.

Rune's eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"

**Happiness: **Hehe… She's totally serious! And she's not the only one who thinks so.

"What in the world would ever give you the impression that I feel anything more than-?"

Oh my goodness, I can't believe you! If you'd just open your eyes for two seconds and _look_ at him! And I'm not just talking about physical attraction, either, Rune. Hope and Happiness glow whenever you look his way, or whenever you think about him.

"…They…what? What does that mean?" Rune asked curiously.

Whenever you feel an emotion—or in my case, work on solving problems and analyzing situations—whichever one of us attributed to that feeling glows. For instance, when your mother was shot, Fury was aflame. And when Sebastian confessed his—_coughobviouscough_—feelings, both Happiness, Hope, and Loneliness were glowing their respective colors. I always glow faintly, but for some reason it's brighter when you dream, even more than when you're working out math equations and such.

This information was very interesting to Rune, for obvious reasons. However, what was most shocking was that _Loneliness_ had been glowing. That was rather odd, to say the least. However, after thinking about it for a moment, Rune realized that it sort of made sense, in a really weird way. If a person has the chance to be loved, but they don't know how to take it, it might make sense for them to feel lonely as they long for that companionship. As for the happiness, that was a given. And the feeling of hope… Though she would never admit it out loud, Rune was very hopeful that Sebastian was telling the truth on that day. Shaking her head, Rune tried to dispel such thoughts before she was found out.

Happiness giggled.

Too late.

"No. Don't you even dare—"

**Happiness:** Rune and Sebastian, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Hehehe!

Rolling her eyes and sighing, Rune massaged her temples in an attempt to fight the oncoming headache. She spun around lazily again, only to be stopped when a hand grabbed the back of the chair. Her eyes flew open in shock, and in her haste to turn around, she ended up falling onto the floor. She looked up to see Nightwing smirking down at her while offering her his hand. She took it and pulled herself up, blushing slightly in embarrassment. Nightwing glanced up at the glowing screen on the wall before looking at Rune again, his arms crossed over his chest.

"It seems you've found my meeting room," he stated casually; even still, there was always that undertone of authority laced in everything he said. Rune's discomfort allowed her only to offer a weak smile in response. "Come on. You've got a mission."

Rune blinked once then nodded. She shut down the computer, turned off the monitor, and followed Nightwing out of the private meeting room. He stopped for a moment to punch another combination into the lock before turning to lead the way down the dark hall as the door closed behind them. Glancing back, Rune caught a glimpse of a black number 5 on the door before the hall was once again submerged in shadows.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"We've received word that someone is planning a break-in. The anonymous tip didn't reveal who the criminal or criminals are, but said that they're headed for the Lee National Bank tonight. Considering the shortage of missions lately, I've decided that you four will be handling this on your own."

"When do we leave?" Sebastian asked. The other three looked at him in mild surprise. Just a few minutes ago, he was joking and carefree; now he was serious, a look of determination in his crimson eyes.

"Immediately. Sebastian, you'll be appointed leader this time. I want the thief or thieves caught with minimal damage to the city."

"Understood. Ready, Titans? Let's go."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The streets were pretty empty, most of Jump City's inhabitants having left for home already. The quartet of Titans had been staking out the bank for nearly two hours, taking turns for food and bathroom breaks while waiting for the mission to get interesting. Needless to say, they were all quite bored. Even Sebastian, who had been so diligent earlier, was starting to slack a little in his observance. He was seated across the street from the bank, reading the newspaper while sitting leisurely at the bus stop. Changeling was disguised as a lizard, hanging out in the grass on the south side of the building. Rune was in a restaurant on the east side, sipping a cup of coffee and pretending to read a book. Covyll was on the west side, listening to his Wireless Music Transmitter and randomly making clouds rain on annoying people around him to pass the time.

It was about five in the afternoon, and none of them had seen anyone suspicious lurking around the bank. Each of them had even taken turns going inside the bank every half hour, trying to remain inconspicuous incase the thieves were watching. However, their task was ultimately boring; they were getting restless.

"Come _on_, 'Bastian!" Covyll argued quietly via communicator. "This is pointless! They've either given up, or they planned this all out so that we'd be waiting here while they're all off robbing a jewelry store! Let's just go home."

"You know we cannot do that," Sebastian retorted. "We have to wait either until we finish the mission, my dad calls us back, or until 3:00 p.m."

"Why three?" Rune questioned, her communicator disguised as a cell phone. Cyborg and Andrew came up with the coolest ideas…

"The rule is that if you are staking out a building, and you have been there for three hours, you have to change teams. Otherwise, if the people you are trying to catch are watching, you will stand out too much. We have been moving around this block, and Changeling has been transforming into different animals every once in a while, so we probably have yet to be noticed. But if we remain here for too long, the mission could be jeopardized."

That made enough sense to Rune, but it didn't stop Covyll from complaining. Surprisingly enough, Changeling had kept quiet through the whole ordeal. That in itself was rather odd… Suddenly, Rune's communicator began flashing red and emitting a series of loud, repetitive beeps. She looked at the screen and saw the sky, littered with green specks and the occasional ant. Someone had hit the Panic button.

_'Changeling!'_ She realized immediately. She bolted out of the restaurant and onto the street, turning right towards the bank. She ran around to the back of the building, meeting up with the others on the way there. When they arrived, they saw a green turtle laying next to a fallen communicator; both were covered in red goo. The turtle turned into a bird, a lion, an elephant, and finally into a struggling green adult.

"This is _so_ not cool!" Changeling cried, struggling to be free of the restricting mess. "Rune, that psycho father of yours attacked me!"

The others looked at her. "My dad? _He's_ the one we're supposed to catch?"

"Get me out of this!"

Covyll obliged by bringing down a cloud in a large whirl of moist fog; for a moment, no one could see at all. But the cloud soon condensed into a stream of water. It wrapped around Changeling, prying at the sticky red…_stuff_ Red X had thrown at him. It only took a minute for the water to dissolve the weapon into nothing. The four Titans immediately ran into the building from the back entrance, ready to take down the thief. When they got to the bank's lobby, they saw that there was only one person there—a teller who'd been knocked out and was lying on the ground near his station. Sebastian went over to check for a pulse while the others scanned the building for their target.

"He is fine," the red-eyed teen announced. "He was hit in the back of the head, but just enough to knock him out."

The others accepted the answer and continued their search of the building. Changeling turned into a bloodhound to track Red X's scent, while the others looked around for clues to where the vault might be. What else would a powerful, high-classed thief be after in a city bank? Unfortunately, Changeling's effort proved futile, for the trail he'd managed to find disappeared into thin air in the center of the room. He returned to his human form and shrugged, unknowing of what to do next. Rune, however, was already working on a plan to find the criminal. She sat by the fallen teller, her hands glowing silver over his injury as she attempted to awaken him. Surprisingly, her plan worked; his eyes fluttered open and he let out a small groan of pain as he rolled over onto his back, gazing up at the blue-haired girl with appreciative eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He smiled warmly at her. "I am now." Rune blinked. Covyll and Changeling snickered. Sebastian growled; was this thirty-something-year-old guy _hitting_ on her!?

"…We need to know where the bank's vault is," Rune said, her tone entirely professional as she ignored his previous statement. "We don't have time to search the entire building; it's too large. Can you tell us where it is?"

"Of course," he replied while sitting up, no longer in pain due to Rune's wonderful power. "It's in the basement. Down that hallway, last door on the left is the staircase to take you there. You'll need a code to get in, though."

"What is it?" Sebastian asked, standing beside Rune protectively. The blonde man sighed and said he couldn't tell them. "Sir, you understand that the criminal who incapacitated you is down there, and the longer you make us wait, the more money he steals. Right?"

"I get that; however, I really don't want to be fired. You're just a bunch of kids. What can you possibly do to stop Red X? He's one of the most infamous thieves in history!"

Rune sighed in irritation. "If only Andrew were here…"

"Awe, come on now. You're making me jealous, thinking about other guys like that," the man said, winking at Rune. All at once, Rune's eyes glowed a bright white as she glared at him; Sebastian's Starbolts appeared, threatening to severely harm the lecherous employee. Changeling turned into a German Shepard, and Covyll even went so far as to hit the guy. "Ouch! Okay, okay! Jeeze, I was only joking."

"Look," Rune began, her tone no longer polite, "let's make a deal. You tell us the code and stop wasting our time, and I won't let them hurt you _too_ badly." For emphasis, Changeling turned into a Velociraptor, grinning at the man threateningly. The blonde's eyes widened as the color drained from his face.

"T-the code is 2-5-3-6-7-1-1!"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The quartet stood facing an open vault, each in their own battle stance (and Changeling crouched in Cheetah form) as they stared down their opponent. Red X smirked at them from beneath his skull mask, hand poised over the teleportation button on his belt in warning. He held a burlap sack in the other hand, filled with a fortune in cash. Rune looked at him in slight confusion, trying to figure out his motives. He hadn't told her about this heist. Did Nightwing consult him about it in secret? Or was this his idea? She also briefly wondered if he'd hurt any of them too badly; her mother had told her stories about their battles with Red X—before and after Raven had begun dating him—and his fighting style had never changed. Nevertheless, it was their mission to capture him, and they all knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"It took you all long enough to get down here," his computer-modified voice said with a hint of derision.

"We had another issue to deal with," Covyll said, referring to the less-than-helpful man they'd left bruised upstairs.

"So I saw," came the reply. "So, what have you got planned for me? I haven't fought any Titans in a while, so I hope you can make this interesting."

Sebastian and Rune did not hesitate to attack, each with their respective powers. While the Tameranian half-breed hurled a barrage of crimson Starbolts at his enemy, Rune used her still-developing powers to take back the stolen money from a safe distance, leaving the other four surprised when the bag levitated quickly into her awaiting hand. X dodged the glowing attack from Sebastian and jumped to the right, only to block a series of punches from Covyll. Changeling ran towards the man with claws extended, only to swipe at thin air when X did a back flip over the cheetah, teleporting behind Sebastian in the process. Rune's hands were encased in navy energy, so dark it was almost black, as she pushed Sebastian out of the way of an attack. As a result, she had to quickly drop to the ground and roll away to avoid decapitation—the red spinning blade on the back of X's hand swiped at the space where his daughter and Nightwing's son used to be, missing by a fraction of an inch.

Rune stood several feet away, eyes glowing white as she stared down her opponent. Red X nodded slightly, acknowledging her speed silently. Truth be told, he was proud of his daughter. Of course, it would have been fun to train her as the next "most infamous thief in history"; unfortunately, Raven would never have allowed it. Regardless, he was glad that she was becoming something great, be it hero or villain. But now was not the time to boast about his child. It was time he took this game to the next level…

Sebastian and Changeling charged at the thief from opposite sides, the latter in wolf form whilst the former threw more Starbolts at the target. Red X ducked to avoid the painful glowing spheres, which Changeling then had to avoid by turning into a small bird and flying out of harm's way. Covyll was trying to figure out how he could help; there was no water down in the basement, no clouds, not even humidity that he could use to fight. It was very frustrating to the Atlantian. So much so that while he was looking for a source of H2O, he failed to notice the large red X flying towards him until Sebastian called his name. The substance hit him dead on, making him fly backwards into the wall and securing him there. He struggled against the tape-like weapon, but was unable to free himself.

While the battle continued with Changeling transforming into an elephant and the others trying to help in any way they could, Covyll finally noticed something that could help him—there was a wet spot on the ceiling. The Atlantian smirked and concentrated hard on that one spot, smirking as he saw the dark stain grow larger. Finally, that part of the ceiling caved in and revealed a broken water pipe. The water fell from the hole steadily, suggesting that it wasn't going to stop any time soon. Now with the option to use his power, Covyll sent the water towards Red X in thousands of droplets, each sharpening and freezing as they neared their target. X teleported away in the blink of an eye, the needles of ice slamming into the wall with a sound like hail hitting the pavement. While waiting to see if the crook would return, Changeling went over to help free his younger friend in lion form. The four Titans stood in the center of the room, not exactly knowing what to do next.

"What was Nightwing thinking?" an amused voice called from inside the vault. The four heroes ran inside to find that Red X had once again obtained a bag of money and was seated leisurely on a shelf near the back of the large safe. "Sending a bunch of amateurs after me; how insulting."

The three males glared and growled at the thief, annoyed by his scornful tone. Rune, however, shrugged it off. She knew she was an amateur, what was the point in getting angry about it? That wouldn't help capture her dad. Instead, she opted to levitate her father off of the shelf and drop him onto the floor; he landed gracefully on his feet, much to the affronted males' disappointment. In one instant, Red X teleported behind them all and chuckled to alert them of his presence. Before any Titan could react, he'd closed and locked the vault door with them inside.

"Not good," Sebastian said more to himself than the others. Four communicators went off synchronously, and their respective owners answered them to see a glowing skull mask leaning against the wall outside the bank.

"I thought I told you to make it interesting," the computerized voice taunted them.

"Why are you doing this?" Sebastian demanded, his tone much like his father's. "What will you gain from defeating us?"

"And how the hell did you disable the safety unlock feature in this vault so quickly!?" Covyll demanded, standing near a control panel that had been opened to reveal a bunch of wires twisted around randomly. Rune was mildly surprised; Covyll knew about more technology than just video games?

"You guys take too long to find your target," X said, not answering their questions. "And, most of your movements are too rash and uncontrolled." Rune blinked in that instant, astonishment shining through her cerulean eyes. Was _that_ his goal? No way…

"You're one to talk!" Changeling retorted. "You nearly took off Rune's head back there!"

"Oh, please. I had my attack under control; I would've stopped advancing if she hadn't moved. Do you honestly think I'd hurt my own _daughter_? I'm a thief, not a murderer." He almost sounded insulted by the assumption.

"You've yet to answer my question," Sebastian interrupted before Changeling or Covyll could make a comeback. "What are you trying to do? There has to be a reason why you would do this."

"Of course there's a reason," X stated. "But I have the upper hand; why should I reveal my intentions to some brats who can't even break out of a vault in time to beat me to your precious Tower?"

That certainly got their attention. "What are you planning?" Rune demanded, still wondering if her earlier thought was correct.

"You'll have to catch me if you want to find out."

"Are you playing games with us!?" Covyll shouted, tugging futilely on the escape hatch in the back of the vault, whose opening had been melted together.

"Obviously."

With that said, the connection ended. The trapped Titans put their communicators away and began coming up with different ideas and solutions for getting out of their predicament. Sebastian tried firing Starbolts at the door, only to have them ricochet off it and hit a pile of money behind Rune (who'd had to duck in order to avoid being burned). He apologized profusely as Covyll put out the money-fire with the little bit of water that had ended up inside the safe from his earlier attack. Rune said it was fine, but the poor boy still felt bad about it. After that, Covyll demanded that Sebastian use his 'boundless confidence' and break the door down. Sebastian took a deep breath and glared at the door with glowing red eyes; he gripped the sides of it, his fingers digging into the metal as he pulled at the door with all the strength he could muster. Rune assisted by attempting to levitate the door towards herself, focusing all her energy into the task. In no time, the door was ripped from its hinges and thrown to the side. Sebastian smirked in accomplishment, while Changeling cheered and Rune sighed in relief.

"Alright," the Tameranian half-breed started, quickly leading his team out of the bank and onto the street. "We have to get to the Tower before Mr. Falle does. Changeling, you contact my father and tell him what happened. Covyll, you head that way towards the beach; swim back to the Tower as fast as you can to head him off. Changeling, you go with him. Rune, you and I will chase after him on land. If we are lucky, we might be able to catch up to him."

Having their instructions, the team of four split in half, traveling in opposite directions to reach the same goal. While they were scanning the city for any sign of a tattered black cape or white skull mask, Rune gave Sebastian a curious look.

"Why do you speak like that?" she questioned.

"Um…?"

"Sometimes you don't use contractions; you haven't really used any today. Did you get it from your mother?" Sebastian nodded as they turned a corner and continued running, their eyes taking every detail they could of their surroundings in hopes of finding their criminal.

"Yeah. My mom does not…doesn't use them at all, so when she was teaching me how to speak, it rubbed off on me. I usually do fairly well in making sure I speak normally—Covyll and Andrew find it a little irritating when I say things like 'have you never' or 'is that not'. But when I get excited, I just forget. I apo—I'm sorry if it bothers you."

Rune's eyes widened slightly. "No no, I didn't mean it like that! I was just curious; speak however you like." Sebastian smiled as they continued onward towards the Tower, their destination in sight. It was then that Sebastian's communicator went off.

"What is it, Covyll?" he questioned, not slowing at all. The screen showed Covyll looking off screen at something, his eyes expressing all his annoyance.

"We were almost to the beach when-" A brief shout; Covyll cursed and aimed an attack. "-we saw this _freak_ with pink eyes and silver hair flying out of a skyscraper with blood on his hands! We got sucked into fighting him—we won't make it to the-" There was a loud crash, and the screen went black for a moment. It slipped away in a familiar manner, like running mascara, before the two could see Covyll standing in a cloud of dust, aiming another water attack at a shadow. There was the sound of a cheetah growling before the screen was crushed and died.

"Dominique," the two Titans said in unison.

"He must've been assassinating someone when they found him," Rune said as they reached a familiar bridge.

"They're gonna need help," Sebastian said. He quickly called Nightwing and told him that the others needed help. He was on his way. As the two on the bridge tried to figure out how to get to the Tower, they could see a dark motorcycle hovering over the bay as it sped towards the city.

"How can we get over there?" Rune asked. "Neither of us can fly, and I don't think my powers are developed enough to levitate us both that far."

Sebastian considered their options while keeping in mind that they were pressed for time; with Nightwing gone, it would be easier for X to reach whatever his target was in the Tower. They couldn't let him get a hold of it, no matter what. But they weren't Atlantians. Even if they could dive into the bay without being hurt, they wouldn't be able to swim to the Tower quickly enough.

"Having trouble?" a familiar voice mocked them from above. The duo looked up to see Red X perched atop one of the suspension cables as a storm of red shuriken sped towards the shocked teens. Sebastian pulled Rune backwards, jumping to the center of the road with her in his arms; cars around them honked angrily, but they were out of harm's way for the time being. Many cars were slowing down, familiar with this type of scene; the traffic jam stretched a mile long as civilians gave the young Titans the safe room they needed to take down the bad guy. Sebastian and Rune each got into fighting stances, facing the now falling Mr. Falle. He landed softly on the cement street, looking straight at the two with white eyes. He smirked in amusement.

"You two need to work on your stances," he criticized. To make his point, he teleported behind the pair and bent to the ground, swiping his left leg underneath them and thus causing them to fall. Sebastian quickly caught himself on the ground before aiming a hard kick at the thief's masked face; it was blocked, but the following punch could not be dodged. X was sent flying into the guardrail, his vision blurring slightly as he stood up. Rune and Sebastian were once again facing them. "Not bad, kid."

"What do you want from the Tower?" Sebastian demanded. X chuckled.

"Nice try, but you haven't caught me yet."

The battle progressed, gaining intensity with every passing second. It was obvious that X was toying with them at some points, like when he kept teleporting behind Sebastian every time he turned around. It was a well-timed kick from Rune that put an end to that. Other times, Red X was thoroughly shocked at how well the two teens could fight and strategize together in stressful situations. They would grow up to be exceptional fighters. Sebastian had just been kicked to the side after attempting a close-up attack with his Starbolts, and Rune was left to battle her father hand-to-hand. Rune, unused to the rigor of combat, was quickly growing tired. She was forced onto the defensive just as Sebastian's vision stabilized; and in that instant, Rune left herself open for attack. Red X took advantage of the opportunity and sent a hard kick to his unfortunate daughter's side. She flew trough the air, eyes open in shock—Sebastian caught her before she could fall off the bridge. As he held her protectively in his arms, both teens looked at X with the same disbelieving eyes.

"You actually hit her!" "You actually hit me!"

X raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Your point is?"

"She could have fallen off the bridge and died! She is your daughter! That was so not cool!"

"You're kidding, right?" Honestly, they were in the middle of a _fight_. Of course she was going to get hurt; that was the only way she'd ever get better. But that kid was as appalled as if X had _killed_ her. He sighed. "That's what happens in the real world, kid. And didn't I say it before?"

In a flash, Red X was behind them, his hand gripping Sebastian's shoulder tightly. "I'm a thief," he said, pulling Sebastian away from his daughter as he sent an electrical shock through his body, "not a murderer."

Sebastian fell limp in X's grasp, momentarily paralyzed. When X dropped him, Rune took hold of his tattered cape and pulled as hard as she could. The thief's eyes widened in surprise as she slammed him against the street; a few spectators honked their horns in a strange sort of applause. Rune smirked down at her father, triumph shining in her eyes. Sebastian regained control of his muscles in time to quickly grab one of the red shuriken X had used before and hold it threateningly against the man's neck before he could lash out at the blue-haired girl. They heard him chuckle beneath the skull mask, the sound more threatening because of the voice changer inside it.

"Not bad at all."

Before either teen could react, Red X had teleported out of their grasp. They both knew he wasn't coming back. A crowd had formed around the Titans, everyone cheering for their victory. Rune and Sebastian were pleased, to say the least. Okay, so they hadn't captured him, but they still beat him. The red-eyed teen sent a grin to his blue-eyed friend, flashing her the 'V' for 'Victory' sign. She smiled back at him, and shortly afterwards, the two made it back to the Tower. They were bruised, tired, and hungry; but they had won.

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Nightwing, Covyll, Changeling, Rune, Sebastian, and Red X were all seated randomly in the main room of Titans Tower, the battle-worn teens on the couch with our favorite green hero facing Nightwing and X, standing next to each other calmly. Only the actual teens of the Titans wore expressions of incredulity and annoyance on their faces, whilst the adults were highly amused.

"You mean to tell me," Covyll began, tone entirely aggravated, "that this entire mission was a _hoax_!?" The sink in the kitchen suddenly broke, water spraying everywhere behind the sextet. Only Rune and Logan seemed concerned about it.

"It was planned, yes," Nightwing said. "But I wouldn't say 'hoax'. It was a test of all your abilities. Falle and I united to see how well the three of you could work as a team. We had to wait until Andrew left with the others or else he would have revealed the secret. And Changeling agreed to help, just to even out the numbers. And a good thing, too," he added, referring to the fight with Dominique earlier.

"What's going to happen to him?" Rune asked hesitantly, looking over at Dominique; Logan had restrained him with that red tape he'd used earlier on Covyll. He had also had a tracer put on him while he'd been unconscious before; though on an ordinary day, that wouldn't have stopped him from escaping in a heartbeat. He was interested in learning more about the Titans, specifically Miss Falle.

"He'll be taken into the custody of the police. He'll be put on a trial, but given the evidence against him, I know he'll be found guilty. Depending on how helpful and cooperative he is with authorities, he may or may not receive the death sentence," Nightwing explained professionally, watching Rune for her reaction. Her eyes were horror-stricken and pleading as she looked at the masked man before her.

"You can't be serious!" she cried in outrage, standing up and pointing to the assassin. "He saved my life! He's a good person—surely there's an alternative-?"

"He's a criminal, Rune," Changeling said. "A murderer."

"There's nothing you can do."

"Like _hell_ there isn't!" Her tone surprised them all greatly, including Dominique. She didn't realize it, but her eyes were glowing white. "There has to be something to prevent that. He doesn't deserve to be _killed_ just because of what he is!"

"Don't you think that's a little hypocritical, Rune?" Nightwing asked; he was, of course, referring to when she'd nearly killed those thugs from a few weeks ago. She glared at him angrily.

"Of course it is," she replied. "But he's more valuable than those pathetic-…_things_ that tried to kill my mother." It took a great effort for her to restrain from using any more bad words. "He's powerful, resourceful, and _human_. Surely he has something you want."

"He's a bad guy, Rune," Logan said, knowing how upset his daughter was. Everyone was even more shocked when they saw a tear roll down the emotional girl's face, though she didn't feel it.

"So were you, but I don't see _you_ on death row," she countered angrily.

"Your father's situation is dif-"

"No, it isn't," Sebastian said. The others all looked at him. "True, Mr. Falle never killed anyone that we know of, but he's done a lot of damage in his time. And when you finally found out his identity," he was talking pointedly to his father now, "you didn't even consider turning him in. Because you knew how it would affect Raven and Rune. And you knew you could use him."

Nightwing stared at his son for a moment before looking over at Dominique; the latter grinned sheepishly. Sighing, Nightwing looked at Rune. The blue of her eyes could be seen again, though the edges were still glowing white. She met his gaze, her eyes pleading and defiant all at the same time.

"Dominique." He turned to face the criminal. "Would you be willing to make an exchange?"

A shadow crawled up the wall, forming words for the silent assassin. _"What can I do for you?"_

"You will need to tell me everything you can about the people who've hired you; I need names and targets alike."

Dominique paled. _"That's gonna take forever!"_ He sighed breathily and nodded. _"It'll take me a while to track down all those old files, but I can do it. What else?"_

"You have to retire."

The silver-haired teen's eyes widened. _"Are you serious?" _the shadows spelled. _"Well, I don't care about the assassinations, that's fine. But do I honestly have to stop thieving!? It's too much fun!"_

"You can work with us, if you'd like to still be in a dangerous line of work," Nightwing offered. Dominique seemed to be thinking about the offer, his eyes unfocused as he weighed the pros and cons of the deal. He could live, but he had to be the Titans' marionette. Or he could refuse and die. Hm…

_"May I have one condition?" _Nightwing nodded. _"I don't want to work in North America anymore. Can I go to Europe?"_

**Okay, so I know that ending was kinda…open, I suppose, but I'll include a brief explanation in the next chapter. FYI, Dominique decides to work for the Titans, and yes, he's stationed in Europe. But that doesn't mean he won't still be a thief (he's a bit of a kleptomaniac, in case you haven't noticed). Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry it took me so long to get it out, but writers' block was persistent for a while there. Once again, please stop by my profile and vote on your favorite character! When the story is completely finished, I'll post the results for you all to see here.**

**Thank you all very much!**

**--Later!**

**Random thought of the day: If Covyll and Selina had a child, it would be a catfish. Get it? Selina is cat-like in appearance, while Covyll is from the ocean. XD Yes, I know I'm lame. Oh well.**


	45. Pop Quiz

Hey, there

**Hey, there! Well, it's official—as of 9:10 a.m. on May 23, I became a sophomore. Yay me. And I'm sorry it took me so long to update. For the past month (June) I was in a summer program called Upward Bound that prepares kids for college; it took a lot of time from my days. But, I'm out now. Anyway, thanks to those of you who left reviews and voted on my poll from the last chapter. I hope my story is to your likings…**

**--Jaime **

**Disclaimer: There's a long list of things that I do not own. Teen Titans is at the top. TT**

**Ch. 45: Pop Quiz**

"—you _do_ realize that if we catch you doing anything criminal without our consent, you will be sent straight back to jail to await a trial, correct?" Starfire questioned as she led Dominique up a flight of stairs. She turned back to see him nodding then continued on her way. "Very well. Your room is right here…"

She led him into a small apartment, about the same size as his old one in Jump City.

_'Which, unfortunately, the Titans seized and searched before _selling_. And I really liked that place… Oh well. This one doesn't look half bad; London's a nice town. Can't wait to see what's up for grabs in the stores…'_

The thief smirked as he checked out his new home. He immediately noticed the security cameras: at least two in every room, hidden rather nicely from civilian eyes, but easy for observant criminals to find. There weren't any microphones, as far as he could tell—what would be the point? The living room couch sat on the left wall facing a color T.V. about the size one would expect to find in a motel room. There was a table for two on the right in the kitchenette area, and a hallway leading away from that, presumably to the bedroom and bathroom.

"Here is your communicator," Starfire said, handing Dominique a round black object the size of his palm. There was a white paw print on the front with red trailing off of it; it looked like a bleeding animal had stepped on it. He looked up at the red-head curiously. "The design was chosen to be your calling card as a high-level thief. You are to leave that mark at every crime scene so that other heroes in the area know it was you. If you do not do that, then they will more than likely track you down and bring you to jail." It made enough sense, he supposed. "When we need you to go on a mission, we will let you know by communicator. Nightwing has already told you everything else you need to know, correct? Do you have any questions?"

_"Nope, not at all,"_ his shadow spelled on the wall behind him. _"Thank you for all your help. And also, you know, for not giving me the chair."_

Starfire furrowed her brow in confusion; she didn't recognize that phrase. "The chair?"

_"Does 'the needle' make more sense?"_ That one she understood.

"You are welcome. And thank you for choosing to help us, Dominique. It is always wonderful when we can avoid having to 'give the chair' to people."

Dominique offered a smile which Starfire returned. When she finally left to return to America, the silver-haired thief pondered his next move on his couch. Suddenly, a face popped into his mind's eye and he stood, determination clear on his countenance. He left the apartment via shadow teleportation, a wide grin in place as he waved good bye to the cameras.

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Nightwing watched the monitors carefully for the entire hour since Dominique's departure. He had several feeds up: London's main news channels, connections to the Titans stationed around London, and the video feeds from the 19-year-old's apartment. He wanted to make sure that the thief hadn't gone back on his word, for he was fairly certain that the man wasn't trustworthy. But he would give him a chance, like he'd promised Rune last week when she fought for Dominique's life.

Suddenly, there was movement on the screen to his left; Nightwing's trained eyes turned to the video feeds of the apartment, taking in every detail of the shadow materializing out of thin air. When at last the inky silhouette of the teen fell away, Nightwing saw that he had returned with a guest.

A small gray kitten.

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A group of adults were seated at a round table, each with a folder of papers in front of them. Some sheets were splayed across the table: pictures, charts, notes, etc. As they looked over the information, the adult Titans appeared deep in thought. Mas y Menos were conversing in rushed Spanish, switching papers so quickly you could barely see it done. Aqua Lad was looking back and forth between pictures of the newest Titans and villains, brow furrowed as he considered possibilities and outcomes with different battles. Speedy was twirling an arrow like a baton in his fingers, staring at the papers blankly. Cyborg was checking online for any rumors of criminal activity about to happen, trying to match up times and powers together. Bumble Bee, after looking through a few more papers about the known pasts of her new Titans, looked up at the other adults.

"Okay, does anyone have a clue what we can do to test these kids?" she asked.

Cyborg sighed. "Any criminals from the past are either too old, retired, or in jail. And there hasn't been much activity with the new generation of villains, either. It's like they're all on vacation or something."

"I can't find any decent matches to challenge them, either," Aqua Lad said. "There are some who'd be perfect to fight with each of the kids, but they're either in jail, out of the country, or would never do anything to help us out even if there were no consequences."

"I got squat," Speedy stated.

"Nope, we cannot find anyone," Mas started.

"But we will keep looking!" Menos finished, his accent just as noticeable as his brother's.

As luck would have it, they didn't have to continue their search. For at that moment, the red emergency light began flashing while the alarm resounded throughout the Tower. Bumble Bee quickly brought up the necessary information on the large television in their meeting room; the faces of three villainous teens greeted the Titans. She scanned through the known information about them and turned to the others; several of the men were smirking.

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"This is perfect!" a girl with orange hair said, carrying two large sacks of cash. "There's enough here to last us for a good long while."

Her partners looked at her in silent agreement, each carrying their own bags of money. The shorter of the two boys had very pale skin. His eyes and hair were hidden in shadows by the hood on his crimson cloak; he wore an open gray vest, black pants with chains on them, and a spiked collar around his neck. The other boy had white hair and dark brown skin; his eyes were such a light color silver they could almost pass as white. He wore a purple vest over a white T-shirt, black and purple plaid pants, and white fingerless gloves. The girl wore a black vest over a white long-sleeved shirt, as well as a black mini skirt over jeans. Sound familiar?

"Come on, guys, let's get outta here," Liz said, heading towards the large hole she'd blown in the side of the bank. Unfortunately for the trio, there were five teenagers blocking their path.

"Wow, this is a surprise," Andrew stated. "James, remember her?"

James nodded. "Liz, I believe…"

"Oi!" she cried out. "It's 'Zap' now!"

"…Zap?" Kimi questioned. "Why 'Zap'?"

Liz—er… _Zap_ smirked and dropped the bags of money in favor of pulling out a pair of swords, the same style as those Andrew had taken in their last battle. "My name is Zap because that's what I'm gonna do to _you_!" She laughed maniacally after this while her two team mates shared a look of annoyance.

The Titans remained where they were, waiting for her bout of insanity to pass. When she finally finished, she grinned at the five teen heroes before her. There was silence as they stood staring at their opponents, each trying to intimidate the other. A tumbleweed rolled past the two groups while old western music played in the back ground—just kidding. Andrew searched the minds of the three criminals, looking for any indication of their motives or attack strategies. However, when he tried to hear their thoughts, there was absolute silence. Brow furrowed in confusion, he closed his eyes and tried harder. He could hear his team mates' thoughts and plans, but not the enemies'. What was going on?

_'Why is my power not working?'_ he thought in frustration._ 'There's no way they're not thinking anything at all, especially Zap—I can see it in her eyes that she's swooning over James. But why can't I _hear_ it?'_

Unbeknownst to the mind-reader, the boy with white hair was smirking.

"Let's do this!" Liz shouted, lifting her right arm above her head. Right as Liz swung her sword down towards Selina, the two boys flanking her jumped to either side, spreading out on the battlefield. James quickly pulled his sister out of the way as an electric blue bolt of lightning shot out towards her, missing the girl's arm by mere centimeters. The blast hit the wall behind them, but instead of obliterating it, it ricocheted off of it and flew back to Liz's sword like a boomerang returning to it's owner. Andrew and James were stunned to say the least, whereas the other Titans were simply impressed.

"When did you learn _that_?" Andrew questioned, floating inches above the ground as he moved to the right; slowly, the Titans were also separating. Selina thanked her brother, who made sure she was okay before glaring murderously at Liz. The latter cowered under his gaze.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know," the red-cloaked boy stated snidely from Andrew's right. The white-haired one snickered from the other side of the small room.

"Identify yourselves," James demanded, glaring at the latter teen. He grinned toothily, his eyes glowing with mischief.

"My name is Wraith," the white-haired boy said. "And the one in red is Phoenix. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Matthews."

James's eyes widened fractionally; his fingers twitched, as though preparing to attack. Selina looked between her brother and Wraith, wondering what the knowing look in the villain's eyes meant. James was startled, and the scary thing was, it was obvious. He was _never_ obvious, especially not about emotions. Wraith smirked, his white eyes dancing with amusement; the twin orbs were striking against his dark skin. Phoenix watched the exchange in silence, waiting for the right moment…

"Alrighty, then," Kimi said. "Gentlemen, I think we've had plenty of introductions for one day. Please prepare to go to jail."

"Confident, aren't we?" Phoenix said, his head not facing her—though one couldn't be sure if he was watching her from the corner of his eye.

"We don't plan on going to prison any time soon, girlie," Zap said, hands on her hips. Kimi glared hard at her.

"_Excuse me?_" she said, her own hands balling into fists. Andrew smirked; this would get interesting.

"You heard me."

"You're gonna wish I didn't…" she murmured threateningly.

In a flash, Kimi's hands were aflame, and she ran towards the surprised villainess with a similar fire burning in her grassy eyes. Zap brought her twin swords up to block the vicious punch. Kimi saw the electric current running through the metal and reacted immediately, crouching to the ground to turn her first attack into a swift kick. Zap had no chance to move; she was knocked down to the tiled floor, unable to catch herself for the swords she held. Hissing in pain, she quickly rolled over before Kimi could strike her with her flaming hands. Zap got up and scrambled away, trying to regain balance while simultaneously summoning up another lightning strike. Kimi turned to face her opponent, only to be hit in the side by a white bolt of electricity. She flew backwards, her side burning from the blow. She would have hit the wall if it weren't for Andrew, who flew up to catch her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, their usual theatrics set aside. She nodded.

"That hurt…" she whispered. "But I'll be okay. It would've been worse if my temperature was like a normal person's; that was a very _hot_ attack."

Andrew nodded. "Thanks for the info." He gave her a quick, reassuring kiss and set her down on the ground again, holding her arm for a moment to make sure she wouldn't fall. When she was stable, she ran back to continue her battle with Zap.

Meanwhile, Phoenix had decided to battle James and Melody on the other side of the bank's vault room. All they could see of the boy were his unsmiling lips, as the hood guarded his eyes very carefully with shadows. He wasted no time in starting the battle; he threw his left fist out in a punch, though he was too far to hit anyone. Instead, the move created a crimson blade curved like a crescent moon, a soft white glow encompassing it. The blade shot forth, spinning at an alarming rate, aimed right for James' throat. The Titan had no time to duck, but used the mere second he had to react to send the blade off-course. It missed him by millimeters and flew behind him into the door of the vault. James looked back at it and nodded to himself; he was sure his conclusion was correct.

He couldn't warn Melody of the trick, and he wasn't sure if she could figure it out on her own. And even if she could, he didn't know if she could defend against an illusionary technique. He picked Phoenix up in a gust of wind and slammed him into the ceiling; the metal dented, but the villain disappeared into thin air. James heard Melody gasp behind him.

"Genjutsu!" she stated as one would shout 'Eureka!'.

He didn't know what that meant, but he figured by her tone that she understood. Phoenix used illusions to confuse his opponents. He played with their minds, making them see what he wanted them to and disregard the reality right in front of them. James had only been able to tell by the blade; it had no mass, no feel to it whatsoever. It was a trick. It had only moved because that's what James expected it to do, so Phoenix's technique altered the illusion to suit his belief.

_'But how did he know about my wind attack?'_ James thought. _'How did he know about my power? Or where I would move the blade?'_

There was always the possibility that he could read thoughts, like Andrew could. But a lingering feeling in the back of his mind told James that this wasn't the case. He surveyed the area, trying to keep his mind clear so he could sense any attacks. He sent an inconspicuous breeze throughout the room, counting the bodies and their positions around him. His eyes widened—the right! He punched the air beside him, but the cloaked teen took the blow and flew backwards until he hit the floor. The illusion was gone. Phoenix glared up at him; his hood had fallen off to reveal deep violet eyes and jaw-length, slate hair. James blinked in surprise; if the teen hadn't been practically shirtless, he would've sworn he was a woman. Phoenix's face _was_ rather feminine… Suddenly, Wraith let out a bark of laughter.

"Well, duh!" He said to James. "Why do you think he hides behind that hood? Though I must say, little Phoenix's appearance has made it quite easy for us to complete a few tough missions in the past…hehe…"

"You're a mind-reader," James stated. "Just like Andrew."

Wraith looked insulted. "No, actually. I'm a much _better_ mind-reader than that kid. He still hasn't even figured out why he can't read my partners' thoughts."

Andrew was shocked; he pointed dramatically at the villain, his eyes wide. "You're—you're _blocking their thoughts!?_"

Wraith smirked. "Sure am."

There was silence for a brief moment, during which all the teens stood still, their battle forgotten. Finally, to the astonishment of all, Andrew made a move. He flew over to Wraith's side, got on his knees, and hugged him around his legs. Even Wraith lost his cool for a moment there—but thankfully, a moment was all Andrew needed.

"You have to teach me how to do that!" he begged.

"No way! Get off of me!"

"Andrew!" Kimi shouted. "We're _fighting_ the enemy, not _admiring_ them!"

Suddenly, Wraith disappeared, and Andrew fell forward. Confused, he looked around at the others for an answer, but they were just as clueless as he pretended to be. Wraith, however, was laughing silently right in front of the teen. Liz rolled her eyes and told him to hurry up, while Phoenix continued battling with James; this time they went straight into fist fighting. James used the breezes from his attacks to cut Phoenix. The violet-eyed teen used his own crimson blades to do the same, though his could be seen. Melody stood on the sidelines, waiting for the moment she would be needed. Andrew stood up and looked around; he didn't bother trying to pinpoint Wraith's thoughts. Instead, he focused in intuition alone, trying to figure out just where Wraith had gone without revealing his plan.

_'Come to think of it,'_ he thought, _'Selina…where is she?'_

Selina stood off to the side, completely invisible to the naked eye. So how was it that Wraith was staring right at her? She moved to the right—his eyes followed. She walked up to him in silent question. He smirked at her.

"Yes, Selina, I can become invisible, too."

"So how can you see me?" Several pairs of eyes turned to face the air where Selina's voice sounded. She noticed. "And why can't they hear you?"

"Because I'm more advanced than you. And Andrew, as a matter of fact. By the way, in case you hadn't noticed, you can see _me_, too. So don't act so surprised. You only know that you can become invisible. _I_, on the other hand, know why. Welcome to the spirit world, Ms. Matthews."

"Spirit…world?" she repeated in confusion. She knew he wasn't going to give her any more answers, and she wasn't desperate enough to bother asking. Instead, she got into an offensive stance and faced her opponent. "Thank you for the information, but now it's time for you to go to jail."

Meanwhile, James' battle with Phoenix wasn't going too well. While James had the upper hand in strength, Phoenix was more skilled in combat than him. He'd landed more blows on the red head than he'd received; James was tiring quickly. Melody could see that it was a struggle for him; he was trying to keep tabs on his sister, his team, and his opponent all at once, and the energy it took was wearing him out. Melody flew over to James and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, knowing what she wanted to say by the look in her eyes. Nodding slightly, James backed down and allowed Melody to take his place.

Phoenix took in her attire: a strapless black dress with lace along the top and bottom, the hem only reaching her knees; black arm warmers from wrist to shoulder, and a white bow holding up her blonde hair? Not to mention the black and white boots. She looked like she belonged in a fashion magazine, not in a battle. Regardless, he kept his guard up—he wasn't about to be undone by a little girl with butterfly wings. She took in a breath, as though about to say something…but instead, what came out was a beautiful song. A few heads turned to see what was going on. She kept her eyes on Phoenix's as she sang, her voice like water to a man trapped in the desert. It was breathtaking, hypnotic…

_'What's…going on…?'_ Phoenix thought. _'I…I'm so tired… I can barely stand… What is she _doing_ to me? Wraith… WRAITH, I need your help!'_

Wraith, still fending off Selina's diamond-sharp claws, looked over at his friend just in time to watch him fall to the ground, unconscious. He noticed that Melody had stopped singing afterwards. He blocked another attack from Selina as he tried to figure out what the butterfly had done.

_'So, it's more than just a pretty name,'_ he thought, disappearing and reappearing behind Selina; she sensed him in time to dodge his kick. _'Melody uses her voice to hypnotize people. But why didn't she just do that before the fight to save the Titans the trouble?'_ He glanced over at James, off to the side of the battlefield, observing everything that went on. _'I see. Well, while I can't decipher Melody's thoughts—what is she, Chinese or something?—I think I still get the idea. She wanted to let James handle it, but Phoenix was too much of a challenge for the distracted wind-user.'_

Wraith watched as Selina charged at him with her claws extended, ready to scratch his eyes out. At the last second, he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, then did the same to her other arm. Wincing in pain, Selina tried to kick her opponent—but he wrapped his leg around hers to keep her still. Selina contemplated calling to her brother for help, but she knew he couldn't see Wraith.

"He can't," Andrew said from a few feet away. "But _I_ can. Selina, become visible again!"

Selina nodded; she reappeared in an instant, though her pose looked rather strange with Wraith still being invisible and all. Andrew flew up to the other mind-reader and grabbed onto where he thought he should be. Luckily, his estimation was right. He wrapped an arm around his throat, and another around his torso, trapping both of Wraith's arms as he released Selina in favor of saving himself. Selina took several steps away and looked behind her. She could only see Andrew struggling with the air.

_'So I can only see other invisible people when I myself can't be seen?'_

Andrew flew up into the air, careful not to choke his captive too much; in the process, Wraith was having too much trouble trying to escape _and_ keep up with his powers. Like James had, he became very tired. Suddenly, Andrew could see him again, which made his job a whole lot easier. He carried Wraith over to Melody and landed, his hold never loosening.

"Melody," he started. She looked over at him, but he was at a loss for what to say. "Um… Selina, a little help here…"

"Melody, can you—" she pointed at the blonde, "—do what you did to Phoenix?" She pointed at the unconscious villain a few feet away, then to Wraith still struggling in Andrew's arms. Melody blinked for a moment. "…You know, um… What you did when you sang? Remember? Do re mi fa so la ti do?" She sang those notes for the Japanese Titan, who suddenly understood what her comrades were asking of her.

Again, Melody's voice came out just as entrancingly as it had before, targeted now at the white-haired individual. No one understood the words, for they were in Japanese, but that didn't make her performance any less amazing. Not too long afterwards, Wraith fell limp in Andrew's grasp. He was dropped beside Phoenix until the battle was finished. Melody looked over at Kimi, who was still battling the new and improved Liz/Zap. The sounds of lightning and fire could be heard all throughout the room as the two girls attacked each other, throwing insults here and there to heat up the atmosphere. Kimi glanced over at Melody and nodded; they had something they wanted to show the others that would put an end to this annoying villainess.

Melody flew over beside her companion; it was two against one, and Zap didn't like it. She crossed her swords defensively in front of her and waited to see what would happen. Melody closed her eyes and placed her hands over her heart, while Kimi began building up the fire inside her. The temperature of the room was going up quickly, making it uncomfortably hot. But suddenly, the blue wings on Melody's back began glowing and deteriorating. They fell towards the ground in a shower of miniscule butterflies, and came around to Melody's awaiting hands; at the same time, the temperature cooled down rapidly. The multitude of mini butterflies began floating all over the room, casting little rays of light along the walls and ceiling.

Meanwhile, Kimi was finished with her preparations. She held her hands out before her, facing Zap. A steady stream of fire shot out of her palms, but did not head for the lightning-wielder. Instead, it rose like smoke into the air above the green-eyed girl as she rapidly began moving her hands in circles and lines, as though dancing. The flames floating above Kimi's head merged together, forming a very large Chinese dragon. Kimi held her arms straight up, palms facing the fiery creature. She glanced at Melody, who nodded; they were ready. Zap knew something bad was about to come her way, and so she charged up her swords for another electric attack. The dragon flew towards her at the same time the butterflies surrounded it, flying into the flames of Kimi's attack. All at once, the butterflies disappeared into the dragon, and the flames turned white from the added power. Zap sent a great bolt of lightning to greet the beast, her arms shaking from the amount of electricity flowing through her.

When the three attacks met, the room was engulfed in blinding white light.

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"What did you guys _do?_" Andrew asked, completely astonished. Zap lay on the floor, her body paralyzed entirely as white flames burned around her, casting an eerie glow about the room. Kimi and Melody grinned in sync.

"It's a new technique we worked on last week. There's something in her wings that reacts to flame which, when inhaled by a human, paralyzes them. The white flames themselves are cold, but that burst of light you saw was when the chemical reaction occurred. We held our breaths, and you guys were too far away to be affected."

"How'd you find all this out?" Selina asked.

"We were working with Starfire and accidentally inhaled the poison. She and Nightwing were able to analyze it, and Cyborg whipped up a neat little antidote for us."

"…Will her wings grow back?" James asked quietly, observing the place where the blue butterfly wings used to be. There were two blue lines on her skin where the appendages used to be, as though someone took a marker and drew on the girl's back.

Melody grinned and said, "Daij­­­­ōbu dakara, shinpai shinaide!" _(It will be alright, don't worry!)_ Judging by her tone and smile, they figured she was fine.

"Last time," Kimi said, "her wings took about a day to grow back. I'm assuming it'll be the same way this time."

"Okay… So, what do we do about…them?" Selina asked, looking over at the three criminals.

"Let the police handle it; we can head back to the Tower once they arrive." Andrew pulled out his communicator and connected to the police station nearest to them. He informed the man of the situation and hung up, smiling. "They'll be here in about five minutes. So, how do you guys feel about your first mission as Titans East?"

James didn't say anything; Selina looked at the ground. Kimi grinned and mentioned she was glad she got to fight Zap: "It was intense!" Melody walked over to the Matthews siblings and hugged them.

"Well done!" she said, her accent still present. She was happy, though, that she could say something they would actually understand.

When the police finally arrived to take away the crooks, Andrew jumped into the air in excitement. While floating around his companions, he said, "Alright, brave warriors! You have fought most valiantly. Now, it is time to feast in celebration of our great triumph! Onward, comrades, to the Castle of Extra Cheese and Pepperoni!"

Oddly enough, that was actually the name of the pizzeria…

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Wraith woke up in handcuffs on a dirty floor, the sky outside his cell darkening. He'd just had the most wonderful dream…was that part of Melody's hypnosis power, he wondered. He sat up with a sigh; they'd been caught. And judging by the locks on the door and the security cameras on the walls, it would be hard to break out. He closed his eyes and searched for his team mates' thoughts. Zap was in a cell a few doors down, dreaming about battling and defeating James. Wraith shook his head and continued searching until he found Phoenix. He was awake and thinking about Melody, obviously angry that he'd been taken down by a girl.

_'Don't let it get you down,'_ Wraith said, projecting the thought into his friend's mind.

_'I won't go down like that next time,'_ the effeminate teen stated. _'I'll beat her.'_

Wraith smirked. _'Sounds like a plan. Now, how are we going to get out of here?'_

Phoenix's mind swam with ideas and plans as he tried to come up with an answer.

_'Have you ever heard of a red herring?'_

**End of Chapter.**

**In Case You Were Wondering…**

1. In the time Andrew hugged Wraith and he "lost his cool", he momentarily left his mind open to the genius. When he did that, Andrew was able to see his next move—going invisible. Wasting no time, he pulled out a small tracer and put it on Wraith's pant leg. "—but thankfully, a moment was all Andrew needed." He figured, once Wraith mentioned that he was blocking three minds from being read, it took a lot of concentration to do that. So how was he to break into Wraith's thoughts? Distract him, of course. And Andrew, being the overly-dramatic, lovable character that he is, decided to act as he did not only to break Wraith's concentration, but also to get the tracer on his clothes. Bravo!

2. I'm afraid the whole "James getting tired really quickly" thing is going to make you think he's weak. Well, he's not. I don't know if I was clear enough in the story, but while he was battling Phoenix, he was also using his wind to pinpoint his sister's location, as well as to pay attention to his surroundings. His mind was focusing on quite a few things at once, _and_ he was using even more energy to hit and dodge Phoenix's attacks. Plus, he got hit quite a few times, and that itself is tiring. If it had been just him and Phoenix in danger, like it was with Covyll and James, then Mr. Matthews would have been okay.

3. Melody and Kimi were able to practice their awesome Paralyzing Dragon move with the help of Starfire, who translated thoughts and ideas for the two girls. They were talking about their powers, and looking for a way they could use them together. Melody had no idea her wings would react like that—their attack had paralyzed the two of them, but Starfire's alien body wasn't affected by the gas. Melody's wings take a full 24 hours to grow back.

4. A red herring is "something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand; a misleading clue," according to Dictionary dot com.

**So yeah. I'm sorry this one took me about two months to get out. I hope it was even worth your time. And, I added Phoenix and Wraith to the poll and took out the BLONDES. Apparently, no one liked them. XD**

**--Jaime**


	46. Progression

**Yo! Jaime here with the next chapter of The Story of A Girl. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter! I just wanted to clear something up that I haven't really talked about (and that I kind of messed up with in the third chapter—yeah, a long time ago). When Raven left, she was 19 years old. When she was 20, she and Red X got married. At 21, they had Rune. So right about now, Raven is 38. That's not **_**too**_** old to be having a son, is it? Oh well.**

**So yeah, I was thinking about that and figured I should clarify that for you all… **

**Also, I'm sorry this chapter took me so long to put out. It's a difficult one to write, but I hope I did it well. **

**--Later.**

**Disclaimer: They're still not mine. Still.  
**

**Chapter 46: Progression**

_The sun was steadily going down, casting orange and yellow lights across the calm water of the bay. A young woman sat on the roof of the tower, her legs dangling over the edge as she watched the sky slowly darken; the moon and stars were beginning to come out. She looked down at the bundle in her arms and smiled. He grinned toothlessly up at her, his violet eyes dancing with new life. The woman sensed someone approaching before she saw their shadow. She turned and looked up at him, holding a similar bundle in his arms._

_"Rune," her husband said, "isn't it amazing?"_

_He sat down beside her, his red eyes shifting between their children and Rune. She leaned on his shoulder and looked out at the ocean._

_"Yeah, it is."_

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Rune awoke with a start, her heart racing and her eyes wide. She looked at the door of her dark room, half expecting someone to walk in with a crying infant. It took her a moment to realize that it was only a dream. She sighed in relief and fell back onto the pillow, her hands behind her head as she stared blankly up at the ceiling. What kind of dream was _that_?

Well, judging from past experiences, I would call that a premonition, Smarty pointed out.

_'No. Nuh uh. There's _no_ way!'_

…How so?

'_Because that was _Sebastian_ in my dream! I'm not—we aren't—that's--! …Just, no!'_

You're not making a very good argument, Rune. And what's wrong with Sebastian? Personally, I find him rather kind.

"That's not the point," Rune whispered. _'I just don't understand… How is it possible that we would get married? He said he loved me, but I thought it was only a crush—and crushes go away with time. What's going to change?'_

Well…maybe he'll do something to prove to you that he really is in love with you. You know, since saving your life a few times obviously wasn't enough. Her tone was sarcastic, almost bitter.

Rune rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes. She remembered when Sebastian had saved her from ruining her life at the docks, just before he confessed his feelings. She thought about him jumping into the bay during the storm to rescue her; and she thought about him fighting beside her against her father. Sighing, she tossed off her covers and sat up, knowing she'd never get back to sleep with all these thoughts plaguing her. After deciding to take a walk, she glanced down at her sleepwear: a white shirt and black shorts. Deciding no one would be awake at this hour, Rune deemed her attire acceptable for the moment. She grabbed her green mp3 player headed out her door wordlessly, ignoring Yuho's inquisitive stare as she practically glided through the shadows in her haste to get away.

What are you trying to escape from?

_'Don't ask questions you already know the answers to,'_ Rune thought, wishing Smarty would go to sleep.

We don't sleep, Rune, she stated bluntly. And you know, you really can't run away from your thoughts…

_'I can surely try,'_ the blue-eyed beauty responded. She put her headphones on –they covered her ears and then some– and let the music flow through her like medicine, hoping to drown out the annoying voice in her head.

_"I've been chasing rabbits for too long,_

_And followed one too many._

_For now I'm falling down the rabbit hole_

_Dizzy and distraught._

_Oh, when will it end?"_

The song continued on, too loud for Rune to hear _herself_ think, let alone Smarty or another of her seven sides. The woman's voice surged through Rune's eardrums, the melody accompanied by a riveting piano composition and guitar harmonies, the drums pounding out the beat in the background. It was really helpful—no thinking, no feeling. All she had to do was listen. Eventually, as she made her way up the stairs and to the roof of the tower, she began singing along quietly; and even though she couldn't hear her voice, it still helped ease her into a world where her problems didn't exist. Though they weren't really _problems,_ per say, just confusing circumstances.

She stepped through the metal door and onto the moonlit roof; the luminescent rays sparkled in her hair and on her skin as she made her way to the edge swiftly. By now, the song had changed.

"_See the flames?_

_Oh, how they burn._

_They dance on my skin,_

_Pretty little lights_

_Casting pretty little shadows._

_But oh, how they burn._

_They burn."_

This, too, she sang along with for a while, her voice a few degrees higher than a whisper as she sat on the edge of the roof to watch the dark water. The moon reflected off the glassy surface of the bay at such an angle that it looked like there were two moons observing her, twin eyes in a black abyss. Suddenly, Rune felt a chill up her spine and realized that a coat might have been a smart item to bring. It _was_ late October, after all. Goosebumps rose on her pale skin, and she watched them in bored fascination. Then a shadow fell over her body and she gasped in shock. She turned around hastily and glared up at the intruder—until she realized it was the one person she couldn't get off of her mind. Rune blinked, momentarily stunned, before she removed her headphones and shut off the music player.

"I-I'm sorry, Rune," Sebastian said, smiling slightly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"…It's okay." Neither teen moved. "What are you doing out here this late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he countered, sitting beside her. He wasn't nearly in as close proximity as he had been in her dream, but she was on edge regardless of that. "I could not sleep. Covyll's room is right next to mine, and he's listening to music. I think I heard him on the phone, too," he added more to himself than his companion. "What about you?"

Rune shrugged. "I- …couldn't sleep, either." It wasn't the whole story, but it would do. He nodded in response and looked up at the sky, Rune's eyes still on the moon in the water.

"You have a pretty voice," he said out of the blue. She glanced at him and almost swore she saw him blushing, but it was too dark to tell. Which was good for her, otherwise he might have noticed that she was doing the same.

"Thank you," she said, her voice a little quieter out of shyness. Honestly, how often did she receive compliments from the opposite sex? Close to never, actually. "So…"

Sebastian turned to look at her, smiling slightly. "I liked that last song that you were singing," he offered casually.

" 'Fire' by The Scalpel Kids?" she questioned. "You know them?"

"The Scalpel Kids of Wonderland? Yeah, of course! They're practically my favorite band," he stated enthusiastically. Rune smiled slightly.

"Yeah, they're decent," she replied. "But no one can beat Bluebird."

He tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Who is that?"

"The greatest pianist on the planet." Her tone was nonchalant, but her eyes couldn't fool him. Not when they were shining with intense admiration. "She's so mysterious, too. No one really knows what she looks like."

"Oh, _now_ I know who you're talking about," he said. "She is an amazing artist."

This was the scary part: the small-talk was over. Now, neither teen really knew what to say next. 'Nice weather' was off limits because each would know the other was simply stalling for time. Smarty was urging Rune to confront her dream, while Sebastian was having his own internal battle, as well. He didn't know what to say! He wanted to talk to her, of course, but he was too…

_'Afraid?'_ he thought scornfully. _'No way. There is simply no _way_ I can ever call myself my father's son, no way I can call myself a Tameranian, if I cannot even face this obstacle. I refuse to be afraid of rejection. I have faced it once before,'_ his face fell for a moment before the determination shone once again in his eyes. _'Besides, I do not even know how she will react. All I can do is try. Boundless confidence, just as my mother taught me.'_

Sebastian turned to face Rune, his red eyes clearly showing every emotion to the empath. She looked at him expectantly, waiting to hear what was on his mind.

"Rune," he started. "Do you… Did you believe me that day? Do you believe that I love you?" Now that blush was painfully evident, but he refused to shy away.

Rune's left hand twitched, as though she were about to reach for her headphones again.

Nuh uh, Smarty told her. You're not running away this time. I _told_ you it was a premonition!

Rune realized she'd been silent for a few seconds too long when Sebastian smiled lightly at her. "I thought as much."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Well…" he hesitated. "You always seem so distrusting, like there are very few people you will believe no matter what it is they're telling you." He looked out at the sky again, leaning back on his arms. "You're so…distant. And I hate it."

She blinked. And for some reason, hearing that there was something about her Sebastian didn't like made her feel…sad. In her mind, she could see the empty black eyes of Loneliness as she sat beneath her willow tree. She shook the thought away and concentrated on the matter at hand.

"I hate feeling as though there is nothing I can do to get closer to you." He looked into her eyes again. "I want to know more about you. I want to be there whenever you smile, to share your happiness. I want to comfort you when you are sad. I want to protect you when you are afraid." He looked down for a moment, then back up at her with a sad smile in his eyes. "And I want to be someone you would trust with your life."

Suddenly, his smile was replaced by a look of shock and worry. "I-I am sorry, Rune! I never meant to upset you!"

What was he talking about, she wondered. He pulled a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away the tears she wasn't aware she'd shed. "Oh!" she gasped in surprise. "N-no, don't worry about it. I didn't even realize…"

When the tears were gone, Rune looked down at her hands. Sebastian had no idea how much those words meant to her, and not in the 'little-girl-with-a-crush' way. She felt happy because someone genuinely cared for her, _wanted _her even. But she was also sad, because there was no way it was real. _'There's no way I deserve someone like him,_' she thought. It was too good to be true. Then there was the inevitable part of her that felt scared. Would he be like Tiffany, use her for some trivial thing and then treat her like a terminal disease once she'd served her purpose?

_'I really don't think so,'_ she thought, looking up at him. He still looked worried. He _felt _worried, and she could tell. _'That's right. I can sense what he's feeling. That emotion…it's so warm.'_

"Rune, do you want me to walk you back to your room?" he asked suddenly. She nodded and stood with him to leave. The walk was spent in silence; for Rune, it was comfortable, but not so much in Sebastian's case. She could tell.

And do you plan to _do_ anything about it?

_'You know the answer to that, Smarty.'_ To be honest, Rune didn't know what to do. She never had to handle a situation like this before. Smarty kept telling her to rely on instincts, but the blue-eyed girl wasn't too keen on following those instructions. She knew what her impulses would have her do, but that was just _not_ going to happen. _'I'm not going to act like a B.L.O.N.D.E.S. just because I have a crush on him.'_

You admit it, you know it can happen, and yet you refuse to act. How is it that I'm a part of you? Or is this _cowardice_, not stupidity?

One of these days, Smarty was going to get it…

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From the safety of the shadows, two pairs of eyes watched as the lovebirds descended the stairwell in silence. Andrew had been probing the unsuspecting couple's minds when he heard the admission from Rune. Grinning in triumph, he turned to his accomplice and whispered the plan. Covyll, eager to help, listened with all the enthusiasm of a giddy schoolgirl. When they'd decided on a course of action, the duo shared a smirk and tailed their latest victims.

Andrew crossed his fingers and prayed his latest trick would work. He concentrated on Sebastian's thoughts, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. At last, he heard the red-eyed teen think, _'What can I do to prove to her how I truly feel?'_ Bingo. Andrew focused intensely; a flash of white shone in his eager eyes as he thought of something Sebastian was likely to think. _'I could try physical affection…'_

'_I could try physical affection…'_ Sebastian thought. His eyes widened slightly as he quickly banished the idea. _'Where did _that_ come from? No way. Rune would more than likely freak out if I did something like that.'_ An image of kissing the love of his life passed through the unsuspecting teen's mind. _'…Though it is _really_ tempting…'_

Andrew smirked in victory as he concentrated on the much more complex mind of their blue-haired companion. She was already arguing with those mysterious voices of hers, so finding an opening would be much harder. But perhaps there was something else he could do to get the message across…

**Happiness: **How adorable! You finally acknowledged your crush! I'm so proud!

**Hope:** Oh, now all you need to do is muster up the courage to tell him! Wouldn't it be so wonderful if the two of you got together?

That thought alone sent a rush of butterflies into Rune's stomach. _'Together? You mean, a _couple_? Um…' _ So suddenly that none of her voices expected it, Rune imagined what it would be like to share a hug with Sebastian. The butterflies flapped harder. _'…It might be…enjoyable…'_ she stated factually. Her upbeat voices rejoiced, whereas her darker ones offered no comments.

Andrew's job was complete. He'd placed the thoughts into his team mates' heads, now all that was left was to watch and wait. Surely they wouldn't let such a marvelous opportunity pass them by? Oh, if only he could manipulate more than just their thoughts. Everyone in the tower, even Mr. and Mrs. Falle themselves could see that the two should be together. If only the stubbornly shy pair would just go for it! Unbeknownst to Andrew, he'd transferred his last thought to Rune and Sebastian. The pair were standing just outside of Rune's door, about to say goodnight.

'_Just go for it!'_ Sebastian thought. '_What is the worst she could do? Reject me? Slap me? That is not so bad compared to never knowing what would have happened. I can do this. I have to at least try…'_

"Rune," he said softly, looking into her eyes. She could feel his determination and nervousness. What was he planning? "Rune, please do not hate me for this, but I love you."

"Why would--?"

And before she could even finish her sentence, Sebastian's lips gently pressed against her own in a warm, chaste kiss. Her eyes were wide as he studied her reaction, his hands against the wall on either side of her body. She couldn't think, couldn't move. But she could feel, and the sensations running rampant through her veins felt so _good_ it was almost unbearable. Slowly, cautiously, her eyes slid closed as she brought a hand up to rest on his chest. His heart soared at the touch, and he, too, closed his eyes as they enjoyed the moment.

Smirking triumphantly from the shadows, Covyll and Andrew exchanged a silent 'V for Victory' as they sneaked away from the lovebirds.

"D'you think they'll get mad when they realize it was _you_ who put those thoughts in their heads?" Covyll questioned once they were a safe distance away.

"I was simply giving them a gentle nudge," Andrew stated logically. "They were already thinking those things before I got there. I merely pulled their thoughts to the surface." He paused briefly. "…At least, that's what I'm going to tell them."

"…Huh… Sounds good to me."

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The sun was shining brightly over the peaceful city as Sebastian awoke, his black hair disheveled and his contact-less eyes still lost in a dream. With a sigh, he crawled out of his warm bed and headed for his bathroom. He shed his sleepwear and hopped into the shower; the water was freezing, his favorite temperature, and in no time flat he was awake.

'_That had to be the greatest dream of my life,'_ he thought, remembering how vividly he'd felt Rune's lips on his own. _'Ti, mylin Kuzar… If only it had actually happened…'_

Suddenly, Sebastian's eyes flew open and his legs nearly gave out. _'Wait a moment… That _DID_ actually happen! I remember it! Oh my Kuzar! I- and she- we-!'_

With speed even Kid Flash would envy, Sebastian turned off the water, got dried and dressed, brushed his teeth, and darted out of his room. _'Andrew and Covyll are never going to believe this!'_ Unbeknownst to the ecstatic brunette, they were the ones most likely to accept his tale. He reached Andrew's door and entered the combination without missing a beat. He dove into the mess of books and clothes to find his dramatic friend sleeping at his desk; he grabbed his arm without a second thought and dragged the poor kid over to Covyll's room. The Atlantian received the same rude awakening.

"What the bloody hell is all this about, 'Bastian?" Covyll asked. "You finally score or something?"

"Yes! Wait-no, not like that!" Sebastian flushed, but continued on. "I was talking to Rune last night, a-and I ended up kissing her! And she accepted me! It was the most amazing experience I have ever had!" His eyes were bright and excited, and a huge smile was plastered on his face.

"Well, congratulations, my good man!" Andrew said, still half asleep as he floated into Covyll's bed with his eyes closed. "When, pray tell, do you plan on taking your courtship to the next level?" Sebastian was silent, not entirely understanding the question. Andrew sighed, "When will you ask her out, simpleton?"

"Oh!" Again, silence.

Covyll and Andrew shared a look before shifting their gazes to the embarrassed teen. "So today sound good?" the Atlantian offered. "You can't honestly expect her to just let you snog her like that without taking the proper procedures."

"Hey, we did not 'snog', okay?" Sebastian stated. "It was just one kiss… A-and um…yeah, today would probably be a good time, I suppose…"

"Brilliant! Stick with us, young knight, and your fair lady will fall into your arms!"

"Or your bed. Whichever you prefer."

"Uh huh." Sebastian raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "And what can the two of you do for me that I can't think of on my own?"

Just their stares were enough to remind him that he'd never had a girlfriend in his life, and thus they were more experienced in the area than he. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, admitting his defeat. That's when Covyll finally noticed something.

"Oi, since when have your eyes been green?"

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By noon, Rune had been up for four hours and had yet to leave her room. She laid on her bed between happiness and fear, not really knowing what she should feel at the moment. The sun outside lit up her large room with a soft glow; she could hear the waves crashing against the shore from her open window, and it further calmed her until she could think rationally about her situation.

Rune, if you start over-thinking your relationship with Sebastian, I'm going to have to hurt you.

**Happiness:** Seriously! You finally got what you wished for, Rune! And I know you're happy—I'm glowing! Just hop outta bed and go get your man!

'…_Um…'_ Rune smiled a little at her overly-hyper self. _'I think I'll pass on that. I'm not even worried about what happened, really. I'm more concerned with what the others will think… Covyll, Andrew, the teens in the east…my parents.'_

After many reassurances from her personalities (the kinder ones, anyway), Rune decided that it was silly of her to worry about something so trivial. She had already admitted to herself that she liked Sebastian, why bother second-guessing just because of other people? With that on her mind, she took a moment to think about her life so far… It hadn't been terrible. Aside from the kids at school who would harass her –which was usually the same stereotypical group- and the lack of friends for about eleven years, she had it better than most people. Some people had to deal with issues like the ones she faced as Lily Truesdale on her first mission every day. Rune knew that her past hardships only made her smarter and stronger; she wouldn't wish her past to be any different.

'_Well, I might've tried honing this nifty healing ability of mine. That would have been rather useful over the years…'_

Regardless, she realized that it was all worth it. It wasn't a typical storybook ending. The prince hadn't swept her off her feet and taken her to live in a glorious palace, but she had made friends. _Real_ ones. And with these realizations in mind, Rune smiled a little and headed out of her room with Yuho in tow.

And somewhere in the darkest corner of Rune's convoluted mind, Loneliness faded silently into dust.

When Rune made it to the main room, she was greeted enthusiastically by her two conniving team mates Andrew and Covyll, both of whom were grinning knowingly at the shorter teen. Rune met their gazes with a slight blush. _Of course_ they knew… Andrew scooped her up into an excited hug, shouting phrases in French all the while.

"It's about time you two finally got together!" Covyll said. That was the closest thing to a 'congratulations' she would get from him. "Honestly, I thought I might have to forge an arranged marriage for you guys or something."

"Marriage?" Rune questioned. "That's a little far off, don't you think?"

"You're seventeen, correct?" Andrew asked. "Back in the day, women were married off much younger than you are now."

"Way back," Rune agreed, "but that was the past; it's 2026 for goodness' sake. And I'm too young to get married."

"Well then, how about a proposal of a similar sort, hm?"

Rune blinked as she was led away to the living area by the two mischievous men. They seated her on the couch and told her to close her eyes, to which she hesitantly obliged. She could feel another presence enter the room –obviously Sebastian- and kneel in front of her. He held her hands firmly in both of his own and told her to open her eyes. She was greeted by a black-haired teen with frameless glasses…and gorgeous green eyes. She was confused for a moment before she realized that it was, indeed, Sebastian.

'_So that's his real eye color… How pretty.'_

"Rune," he started, pulling a white and pink rose out of nowhere and handing it to her, "will you be my girlfriend?"

Rune would've been stunned if it weren't for the kiss they shared the night before. And if he had approached her with this same question even half a year ago, she would've declined out of anger and fear. But so much has happened between the two, and both have grown and matured from their trials. Rune took the flower and smiled, her eyes shining with tears she refused to shed.

"Sure."

…**Does this sound like a good ending? Rest assured, it isn't. :) But I think there will only be one more chapter after this one. I hope you guys won't hate me for that… I think this story is decent enough, but it seems amateurish to me. (shrugs) I'm going to work on making better ones. Probably Naruto fanfics, though I might write a Teen Titans one here or there. Anyway, I hope that you've enjoyed Rune's story thus far!**

**I think this chapter may have been a bit rushed…what do you think? Please let me know so I can improve in future stories. It only took me 46 chapters to get them together…if I kept this up, how long to you think it would be before they got married? (gasp) Probably almost a hundred more. :) And by the way, a white and pink rose is supposed to mean "I love you still and always will". I thought it was fitting. **

**The next chapter should be the last!**

**--Jaime**


	47. Epilogue

**Well, isn't this surprising? The last chapter….I kinda don't know what to say. I'm shocked I actually had this much to write, and I'm sure there's tons more I could say still. But all stories have to end eventually.**

**Thank you to everyone who has read my story, and thank you for those who reviewed, too! You guys (even the people who only read) make me very happy. (hugs for all) I'm glad you liked TSOAG. Maybe I'll post a new story…eventually…probably not a Teen Titans one, though. I'm still a bit miffed that they cancelled the show…**

**On a side note, my friend rockchick3000 _may_ be writing a sequel to TSOAG, so be on the look out for it!**

**ANYWAY, moving right along.**** Thank you all so much! I never would've had the courage to post this stuff without all of your kind reviews! I hope I haven't disappointed anyone!**

**--Jaime.**

**P.S. Happy (very) belated birthday to NeVErMoRELuVer! I'm sorry I couldn't get this chapter out in time for you!**

**Disclaimer:  I do not own the Titans. I own my original characters. No more, no less.**

**Chapter 47:  Epilogue**

        Rune was a bundle of nerves, her eyes wide and her hands shaking from what she was about to do. Raven was beside her in the back of the car, playing with her daughter's sapphire hair and offering soothing words of wisdom. Kimi and Melody were up front, the former driving while the butterfly couldn't stop grinning in delight. Selina sat on Rune's right, her yellow eyes clearly stating that everything would be fine. Rune smiled at the two women beside her and took a deep breath to calm herself.

        "You're so beautiful, Rune," Raven stated, putting a silver clip in her daughter's hair. It had grown down to her waist in the past seven years since Sebastian and she had started dating. Now, she was a successful woman of 24 about to face something more frightening than any mission she'd ever been on as a Titan. "Don't worry about a thing," her mother said, sensing her anxiousness. "It isn't as hard as you might think."

        "Kyaaah! I can't believe Rune-chan is getting married at last!" Melody cried, nearly floating out of her seat in joy. "Oh, this is such a great day!"

        "Yeah," Kimi agreed eagerly, stepping a little harder on the gas pedal as she swerved around a few cars. "Sebastian's a lucky man."

        _'I'm going to fall over my dress and hit my head,'_ Rune thought, ignoring her friends' chatter. _'He's gonna say _"I don't"_. I'm going to cry or faint or blow something up or-!'_

        Rune,a stern voice began, calm down. Honestly, nothing bad is going to happen! You're just overreacting. 

        Rune sighed and started counting backwards from 100. By the time she reached 17, the car (and Rune's heart) stopped. Kimi, Melody, and Raven all exited the vehicle excitedly, leaving the bride-to-be alone with her maid of honor. Selina gave the woman's hand a reassuring squeeze and handed her the bouquet of white and pink roses—the same type Sebastian had given to her when he first asked her to go out with him. She smiled a little at the memory and glanced down at her left hand where a white gold engagement ring resided. The stone was a simple pink diamond with two smaller white ones on either side. Selina noticed that her friend had calmed down a bit and smiled in relief. She carefully exited the car, making sure no one saw the beauty within.

        Logan Falle was waiting, dressed in a formal tux as everyone took their places at the altar. He smiled at Selina as she got out of the car; she returned the smile and went to make sure everything was ready. He observed the commotion going on around him and sighed, in total disbelief that it was actually happening. His baby girl was actually getting married. He was proud, oh yes, and she didn't need words to see it. However, he couldn't help but feel that he was getting a bit…old.

        Everyone was in place, even the sun shining down on the ceremony. It was a cool August day; sunny and warm with a nice breeze passing by on occasion. Sebastian was in position, his heart hammering against his ribs as he waited patiently for his bride. He could see the car parked on the grass, just a few steps away from the aisle. He knew she was in there, and he couldn't help but grin. The day had finally come. Though the press standing 100 feet away were rather annoying, it was unavoidable—the same thing had happened at both his parents' and Cyborg and Bumble Bee's weddings.

        Finally, the music started playing, and everyone was quiet. Logan opened the door of the T-car and took his daughter's ungloved hand in his own. Rune stepped out of the car and blushed when she realized that all eyes were on her. She held on to her father's arm as he led her down the aisle, whispering how beautiful she was. Rune couldn't look at her fiancé until they made it all the way to the altar, too nervous from all the attention. She wondered if her dress was too revealing. Kimi and Melody had picked it out, of course, and they told her Sebastian would love it. She trusted their judgment, though she still wondered if strapless was the way to go…

        Sebastian, however, almost couldn't believe his eyes. He recognized the beauty as soon as she stepped out of the car, but he still could hardly believe she was his. Her dress fit her perfectly, the white fabric contrasting nicely with her light skin. It flowed around her ankles, smooth but not pouffy. Elegant: that was the word. His breath caught in his throat as she glanced up at him with wide blue eyes; all he could do was smile.

        Logan gave his daughter to the red-eyed man carefully; Sebastian took her hands in his, unable to look away from the woman he loved. The ceremony continued as everyone watched, the minister going through the usual motions of a wedding. Kimi and Melody were tearing up behind Rune while Selina just smiled. Covyll, Andrew, and James stood behind Sebastian, each one silently expressing happiness in their own way. On the groom's side were the other Titans, a few Tameranians, and random civilians who'd wanted to witness the event. On the bride's side were Raven and Logan, Yuho, and even Dominique and Mariko (his gray cat) had traveled all the way from Europe to attend Rune's wedding. In the very back row sat a brown-haired woman with a three-year-old daughter in her lap, her expression remorseful.

        Sebastian and Rune were barely paying attention to any of the witnesses. They couldn't take their eyes off each other, even as they said their "I do"s. A little boy with short black hair and wide dissimilar eyes walked up to the couple with a pillow in hand, upon which rested the wedding bands. He smiled up at the adults as they took the jewelry, then hurried off to sit by his violet-haired mother. Rune only glanced down at her hand as Sebastian placed the simple white gold wedding band on her finger and at his as she placed the matching band on her husband. He noticed that she'd had one word engraved on his ring:  "Forever."

        "I now pronounce you husband and wife," the elderly minister said. "You may kiss the bride."

        Sebastian happily complied.

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        The reception was held at the park right after the wedding. There were a few rain clouds that threatened to halt the festivities, but Covyll and James quickly made it sunny again with their combined powers. Everyone was on the dance floor, minus Rune and Sebastian, who were seated at their plastic table watching everyone around them. Sebastian hadn't let go of Rune's hand since the ceremony, but she wasn't complaining. Her emotions had left her alone for the better part of the day, for which the blue-haired woman was grateful. All the food and cake had been served, so everyone was chatting and dancing happily on the grass. All in all, it seemed that the day had been perfect.

        "Oi! How're Mr. and Mrs. 'Bastian Grayson doing, eh?" Covyll questioned, coming to stand before them with Selina on his arm.

        "Congratulations," the young woman stated. She'd long since overcome her intense shyness, so her voice was easily heard over the upbeat music that Kimi and Andrew had chosen.

        "Thank you," the couple said simultaneously.

        Covyll grinned happily and took Selina away to the dance floor. Rune watched them for a moment and noticed a ring on Selina's finger; no wonder she was so happy lately. She smiled to herself and was about to mention it to Sebastian before someone tugged on her arm. She looked down into the smiling face of her little brother and said hello.

        "Did I do good, Rune?" he asked.

        "You did very _well_, Daniel," Rune corrected gently.

        Her brother had been born without incident a few months after Sebastian and Rune had gotten together. He'd healed well enough from the bullet wound he and Raven had received, but he still had a scar on his chest; when he was old enough to speak, he told his mother that he actually liked the scar. Aside from that, he was born with two different colored eyes. His right one was green, whereas his left one was violet.

        Daniel hugged his sister and said, "I'm glad you're happy now," before walking away to find their parents. The statement confused the woman, but she didn't have time to dwell on it before Sebastian led her out onto the dance floor.

        "So, how does it feel to be Mrs. Grayson?" he asked, leading her along in a fast-paced dance.

        "Well, I guess it feels a little different," she answered, still smiling. "I'm still in disbelief, really."

        "That makes two of us," he agreed. He'd grown taller, she noted, but not by much; and he'd stopped dying the ends of his hair red.

        _'I want this to be over. I can't wait to see his beautiful green eyes again…'_

        Oh, I'm so happy for you, Rune! Smarty said. I'm sorry, I know you wanted us to be quiet today, but I just had to tell you that! I'm so proud! And so is your family! 

        Sebastian noticed how Rune's gaze seemed far away. _'She must be talking to one of those personalities again,'_ he decided. He was a bit jealous that those voices could take her attention away from him, but he knew how to get it back…

        I knew this would happen! Did I tell you or what? Ah!

        _'Yes, I know, Smarty. Thank you,'_ Rune thought sincerely. _'But when did you ever-'_

        Rune was brought back to reality as soon as Sebastian's lips touched her own in a warm, chaste kiss. She blinked and looked up at him in confusion before she realized what just happened. He smirked at the light blush that appeared on her skin and kissed her again. With his lips ghosting against her own, he told her:

        "They can wait."

        Rune grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Right. Sorry about that."

        The night continued on in much the same fashion. Melody kept James all to herself (not that he minded in the slightest); Covyll and Selina could be found on the dance floor all night; Andrew and Kimi were bouncing around, always dancing or entertaining the guests and keeping the press at bay. Dominique stole Rune away for a dance, which Sebastian grudgingly allowed.

        _"Looks like that husband of yours beat me, eh?_" the shadows spelled in the air.

        "Better luck next time," she replied in a friendly tone.

        "_No big deal. I can always steal you away for a dance, right?_"

        She smiled. "Any time you want."

        The silver-haired thief smiled back as the song ended and Sebastian returned to save his wife from the charming mute. Dominique bowed out gracefully and kissed Rune's hand before he left in a whirl of shadows. Sebastian sighed a bit enviously before Rune dragged him back to their seats.

        "Still wishing you could fly?" she guessed.

        He sighed again. "Andrew, Covyll, James, Melody, Kimi, you, Mrs. Falle, my mother, and Dominique can all fly—why not me?"

        "Well, some on that list aren't really flying… They're just using their powers to lift them. Maybe you could find a way to do the same?"

        "Maybe…"

        "Rune, darling! It's been too long!" Andrew cried, flying over to the couple. He snickered as Sebastian let his head fall onto the table. Oh, how he loved teasing his flightless friend. "You're as beautiful as ever."

        "Thank you, Andrew. How have you and Kimi been?"

        "We're expecting our little one to arrive in a few more months!" he exclaimed. "I've no idea what gender the baby will be, but it has the most interesting thoughts ever! Oh, I love pregnant women! Unborn babies are so _fascinating!_"

        "Congratulations," Sebastian and Rune said.

        Andrew and Kimi had gotten married three years earlier and were still as happy as ever. Covyll and Selina finally started dating about the same time, after Melody and Rune convinced James that the Atlantian was the perfect match for his little sister. The two still didn't get along famously, but some things just never change. As for the red head, Andrew and Rune were currently helping him find the perfect way to propose to his butterfly. He was still very quiet and disliked asking for help, but really…he had no experience in the area, and those two were the ones he trusted the most, aside from his sister.

        Raven and Logan were very proud of their little girl, and they never hesitated to tell her that. They also were home schooling Daniel until he was old enough to defend himself. He'd yet to develop any powers, but no one was worried. Nightwing and Starfire were overjoyed when Sebastian told them his plan to propose, and had even helped him as much as they could. It was all he could do to keep them from popping the question to her themselves. Cyborg and Bumble Bee were both living happily at the East Tower finding and training new recruits every other month. Mas y Menos and Speedy had gone to establish their own Tower in Mexico City, and frequently sent e-mails with their stats and the progress they'd made. Aqua Lad was still with the Titans East, helping train the new recruits Cyborg and Bumble Bee found.

        Over the past seven years, the second generation of Titans had continued to get stronger and earn the respect of the city. They'd been on their fair share of missions, had sustained plenty of injuries, and each one had come close to death a number of times. But that was all part of their job, and not one of them would ever consider quitting for an "easier" or "normal" life.

        It wasn't a perfect ending. Come morning, the heroes would have to go back on duty and keep the world safe. There would be more injuries, more physical and mental strain, and enough arguments to last a lifetime. But that didn't matter. They were living in the moment and ready to face anything life threw at them.

        Speaking of which…

        Two men walked up to the table where Rune and Sebastian sat, both wearing formal attire suited for a wedding. The taller one had short white hair and dark brown skin; he was wearing a black suit with a lavender shirt underneath. The shorter man was wearing a dark red suit and a black shirt, which contrasted nicely with his slate hair and violet eyes. Rune and Sebastian looked up in surprise. Some of the others had stopped what they were doing to see what would happen.

        "Congratulations," Wraith offered kindly. His silver-white eyes were shining with mischief. "I'm glad to see you're both doing well."

        "Likewise," Sebastian stated civilly. He was tensed, as were Covyll, Andrew, and James.

        "Oh, don't worry," he said nonchalantly, "we're not here to start anything. We just wanted to let you know that we were back in town."

        "Yes, you haven't been around lately," Rune mentioned. "What've you been up to?"

        Wraith laughed. "Oh, a little bit of this and that. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

        Sebastian's eyes narrowed, while Rune remained impassive.

        "How's Zap?"

        "Hm? Oh, she's been gone for quite a while."

        "I see." The heroes couldn't exactly tell what the mind-reader meant by 'gone'.

        "Well, it's about time for us to go," he said, glancing down at his watch. "It's been really nice speaking with you." His tone indicated that he was hiding something, which wasn't all that surprising—he was, after all, one of the world's most dangerous villains.

        "Same to you," Sebastian replied, obviously not thinking 'nice' was the proper adjective. "Will we be seeing you again any time soon?"

        Wraith grinned secretively. "You'll just have to wait and see."

        "Farewell," Phoenix stated quietly as the two turned and disappeared into the crowd.

        Rune and Sebastian looked meaningfully at each other, their thoughts clear in their eyes. Finally, they sighed and the party continued on as though nothing happened. Rune smiled and gave Sebastian a comforting kiss to calm his nerves; they had quite a history with those two, as did the Titans East. Sebastian smiled gratefully at his wife, and the two chattered about random subjects for a while longer before going back to the dance floor. Rune noticed a brown-haired woman and a little girl standing off to the side as she held on to Sebastian. The woman looked…familiar. Rune smiled kindly at her, and she offered the same in return. She left after that, and the bride never thought of her again.

        Sebastian looked down as Daniel tugged on his arm. "May I cut in?" he inquired adorably. Sebastian grinned and picked the little boy up before handing him to his sister for a dance.

        The moon was steadily rising in the midnight sky, and danger was lurking on the horizon. But no one in the park was at all concerned with the plans Wraith and Phoenix had for tomorrow. For the moment, life was bright and cheerful. And to Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, that was all that mattered.

**The End.**


End file.
